Mad Dogs and Tigers
by Sharper the Writer
Summary: It's a battle for the best football team in Mississippi. The Middleton Mad Dogs against the South Panola Tigers. Will "Unstoppable" Stoppable finally be contained? Will Kim and Bonnie unite the cheerleading squad from an oppressive cheer captain? AU.
1. Introduction

1 Introduction

I am a football statistician and this has been on my mind for some time now. I saw the first 3 chapters "Stolen Lives" and this gives me an inspiration. I know that the Middleton Mad Dogs had a pretty good football team, especially with their tailback, number 7 Ron Stoppable. Since I live in Mississippi, which is the top football state in the nation, I decided to base on what would happen when the Mad Dogs face against the nationally-ranked South Panola Tigers of Batesville, Mississippi. In real life, from 2003 to 2008, the Tigers won 89 straight games and five state titles before losing to Meridian in the title game last year. South Panola was well known for their top-ranked and fast-paced running game and a ferocious defense. I decided to do a best of seven series between these two teams to determine who was the best team in Mississippi. This is fictional, of course. This is also my first fanfic, so please Read n' review and I welcome any criticism. I am also drawn to detail and recorded every single play, penalty, and stat of the game. It may sound boring at first, but it reflects the emotions of the characters, most notably the coaches, cheerleaders, and the players.

First, though, I had to make some minor changes to the setting. I had to move the location of Middleton to Hattiesburg and make it part of a suburb. This also had an unexpected advantage. Instead of putting it in Colorado which would take about 26 hours, it would take 4.5 hours from Hattiesburg to get to Batesville. I also had to change the grades of Bonnie, Kim, and Ron

to the 11th grade and Brick to the 10th grade.

Second, this fanfic will be rated T for bullying, some football violence in terms of injuries, some crude humor, and for some strong language.

Third, since the games that I will be telling will be in a play-by-play format, its going to be difficult to keep along, so I decided to put in the rosters of both the Middleton and South Panola for the reader to keep track of the games.

Fourth, instead of concentrating on one point of view (just Middleton) I will focus on both Middleton and South Panola to give a descriptive detail of both high school football programs.

Fifth, this fanfic is in no way related to the canon of the Kim Possible show, which means it doen't follow a particular episode. This means the following would happen in this fanfic

* Ron didn't join the football team in his senior year, he joined it in his junior year

* Kim was and still is a very good cheerleader, but got beat out and teased by the snobbish Veruca Salt. Veruca has a hatred towards Kim.

* Instead of making Kim her primary rival, Bonnie maintains a very good friendship with Kim.

For those of you who do not know who Veruca Salt is, she was the bratty little girl in the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. She was also in both the 1971 movie and in the 2005 remake. Both movies depict her as a snobbish brat with her submissive parents. In this fanfic, I wanted to take that brattiness and extend it further to make her more dark, oppressive, mean, and self-centered than what the movies depict, especially towards Kim and Bonnie. I also wanted to depict how the stupid and idiotic decisions that she made in order to maintain her position as the cheer captain, how her poor sportsmanship jeopardizes the cheerleading squad and how they eventually lead to her downfall.

As of course, I don't own Kim Possible or the characters on the show. They are the property of Disney and its creators (Mr. Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley)

And Veruca Salt from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is owned by Robert Dahl, I don't own her either.

All my legal disclaimers are present in Chapters 2 and 3.

So, enjoy.


	2. South Panola legal mumbojumbo

Like I said before in the intro, South Panola High School is a real school and their mascot is the Tigers. They reside in Batesville, Mississippi. They have been a great football team and always will be. Out of respect, I do not own the school, mascot, or its logo.

Of the 79 Tiger players, I do not own the rights to the follwing:

Nelson Muntz, Milhouse Van Houten, Bart Simpson and Todd Flanders are part of the Simpsons and owned by 20th Century Fox.

Ben Nordan, and Evan Nordan are computer-generated names from Star Wars: Battlefront and is owned by Lucasarts. I don't own them either.

Trent Boyett and Eric Cartman are from South Park and are owned by Trey Stone and Matt Parker.

Troy McGinty is a part of Max Keeble's Big Move and is owned by Disney.

Neville Longbottom, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Viktor Krum, Piers Polkiss, Draco Malfoy, and Blaise Zabini is a part of Harry Potter, it's owned by JK Rowling

Junior Silverio and Ray "Voodoo" Tatum are a part of Friday night Lights and owned by NBC

Augustus Gloop is a part of Charlie and the Chocolate factory. I don't own him either

Burris Ewell, Walter Cunningham, Charles Harris, Cecil Jacobs, and Francis Hancock are a part of To Kill a Mockingbird and owned by Harper Lee

Roger Klotz and Percy Femur are a part of Doug which is owned by Disney.

Erwin Lawson is a part of Recess which is also owned by Disney.

Chumley Huffington is a part of Yugioh GX.

Duke Devlin is a part of Yugioh. Both are owned by 4kids.

Red Herring is a part of Scooby-doo and owned by Hannah-Barbera

Scut Farkas and Grover Dill are a part of A Christmas Story and owned by MGM

Moe Turner, TJ Avery, and Willie Wiggins are a part of Roll of Thunder: Hear my Cry and is authored by Mildred Taylor. I don't have the rights to these characters

Hector Zeroni is a part of Holes.

Spike Hammersmith is a part of Little Giants and is owned by Warner Brothers

Ash Ketchum, Todd Snap, and Gary Oak are a part of Pokemon. I don't own the rights to them.

Ted Thompson, Damon West, Karl Branting, Casey Harris, Ethan Robinson, Russell Northrop, Norton Williams, and Bo "Bordario" Jackson is a part of Bully the Game which is owned by Rockstar.

The rest of the Tigers Roster I have the rights to because I created these players myself:

*Jarred Wilks - 1

*Rickey Griffin - 2

*Marvin Young - 12

*Jermaine Carr - 13

*Darius Griffin - 14

*Mario Lee - 15

*Deangelo Young -16

*Anthony Butler - 20

*Tristan Gray - 21

*Rakim Austin - 22

*Rashad Barksdale - 23

*Laroyis Thomas - 25

*Germichael Diggs - 30

*Kesrick Humphrey - 33

*Timothy Davis - 34

*Terrance Sanford - 35

*Quinterious Lee - 37

*Rashad Gleaton - 42

*Terrance Corley - 57

*Jemarcus Sanford - 59

*Jonathan Bailey - 61

*David Pell - 64

*Martez House - 67

*Jadarious McMurry - 71

*JR Wagner - 75

*Justin Wilks - 77

* Kendrick McGee - 81

* Montez Scott - 83

*Ricky Armstrong - 87


	3. Middleton legal mumbojumbo

For Middleton High School, and the Mad Dogs, it is a part of Kim Possible and is owned by Disney. I don't own the school, logo, or mascot.

Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Steve Barkin, Brick Flagg, Jim Possible, Tim Possible, Josh Mankey, Bonnie Rockwaller, Tara, Liz, Hope, Marcella, Camille Leon, Crystal, and Jessica are property of Kim Possible and also owned by Disney.

Carver Descartes and Tino Tonitini are part of the Weekenders and owned by Disney

Chad Danforth, Donny Dion, Troy Bolton, Zeke Baylor, Jimmie Zara, Jason Cross, and Sharpay Evans are part of High School Musical and property of Disney

Lee Jordan, Dean Thomas, Oliver Wood, Marcus Belby, Seamus Finnegan are a part of Harry Potter and owned by JK Rowling

Stan Marsh, Token Black, Kyle Broflovski, Clyde Donovan, Craig Tucker, Bridon Guermo, Kenny McCormick, Kevin McCormick and Leopold "Butters" Stotch are a part of South Park and property of Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

Vince Lasalle, Gus Griswold, Mikey Blumberg, and TJ Detwiler are a part of Recess and is owned by Disney

Axel Brodie is a part of Yugioh GX and I dont own the rights to him.

Stacey Logan and Christopher Logan are a part of Roll of Thunder: Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. I don't own the rights to these characters.

Wyatt Williams, Jonesy Garcia, and Jude Lizowski are a part of 6teen and I don't own the rights to these characters either

Charlie Bucket and Veruca Salt are a part of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and are owned by Ronald Dahl

Donny Rottweiler and Buzz Winters are a part of the Replacements and owned by Disney.

Pete Ross is a part of Smallville and is owned by Warner Brothers and the CW.

Brian Williams, Tony Golia, Bradley Cole, and Landry Clarke are a part of Friday Night Lights which is owned by NBC.

Oliver Oken and Jackson Stewart are a part of Hannah Montana and is property of Disney.

Chalkey Studebaker, Doug Funnie, Skeeter Valentine, William "Willy" White and Boomer Bledsoe are property of Doug and is owned by Disney.

Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a part of Spiderman and owned by Marvel.

Tracey Sketchit is a part of Pokemon. 4kids owns the rights to him.

Weevil Underwood is a part of Yugioh

Chris Griffin is a part of Family Guy and is owned by 20th Century Fox.

Cory Baxter is a part of That's So Raven and is a part of Disney.

Zack Martin is a part of The Suite Life and is owned by Disney.

Jeremy Finch is from To Kill A Mockingbird which is owned by Harper Lee.

Austin Ames is a part of A Cinderella Story which is owned by Warner Brothers.

Jimmy Hopkins, Ray Hughes, Trevor Moore, Seth Kolbe, Lance Jackson, Troy Miller, and Trent Northwick are property of Bully the Game and owned by Rockstar.

Luke Stetson and Ralph Wiggum are owned by the Simpsons and by 20th Century Fox

Gerald Johanssen and Harold Berman is a part of Hey Arnold and owned by Nickolodeon

Michael Mackenzie is a part of Daria and owned by MTV

Ash Ulrand, Ben Ulrand, and Devon Goldham are computer-generated names on Star wars Batllefront, Lucasarts owns them.

Adam Banks, Charlie Conway, Fulton Reed, Greg Goldberg, Dean Portman, Dwayne Robertson, and Guy Germaine are a part of the Mighty Ducks series and is owned by Disney

Vince Blake is owned by Zoey 101 and owned by Nickolodeon

Dash Baxter is owned by Danny Phantom

Brock Kelley and David Childers are property of Facing the Giants and Sherwood Pictures

Milo Kamalani is property of Pepper Ann and Disney

I created and owned the rights to the following

13 - Ladario Weathers

31 - Jamie Davis

34 - Chad Morris

99 - Ladarius Jones


	4. South Panola roster

To read this story, the reader will need rosters to keep track of the players

First, here is South Panola

SOUTH PANOLA ROSTER

NumberNamePosGrade

1Jarred Wilkes DE 12

2Rickey Griffin RB 10

3Xavier Connor QB/S 10

4Evan "T-Claw" Barksdale FB/OLB 11

5Blaise Zabini RB/CB 11

6Ted Thompson K 10

7Karl Branting WR 12

8Damon West ILB 11

9Ray Tatum QB 10

10Willie Wright WR 12

11Dontrell Avery CB 11

12Marvin Young OLB 12

13Jermaine Carr FS 12

14Darius Griffin RB 12

15Mario Lee FS 10

16Deangelo Young QB/S 11

17Ethan Robinson RB 11

18Ash Ketchum FB 11

19Norton Williams RB 10

20 Anthony Butler WR 12

21Tristan Gray WR/FS 12

22Rakim Austin SS 10

23Rashad Barksdale CB 10

24 Todd Snap FB 10

25Laroyis Thomas CB 9

26Draco Malfoy ILB 10

27Hector Zeroni FS 10

28Bart Simpson ILB 11

30Germichael Diggs ILB 10

31Todd Flanders OLB 9

32Spike Hammersmith TE/OLB 11

33Kesrick Humphrey FS 10

34Timothy DavisWR/SS 9

35 Terrance Sanford TE 9

37Quinterious Lee RB 10

38Francis Hancock TE 12

39Moe Dixon FB 9

40Bordario Jackson RB 9

41Chazz Princeton OLB 11

42Rashad Gleaton FS 10

43Russell Northrop DE 11

44Percy Femur LB 9

46Biff Tannen TE 10

47Casey Harris LB 10

48Cecil Jacobs TE 10

50Erwin Lawson DE 10

51Charles Harris OG 10

52Gary Oak C 10

53Milhouse Van Houten ILB 11

54Junior Silverio ILB 11

56Scut Farkas OG/DL 10

57Terrance Corley DE 11

58Red Herring OL 10

59Jemarcus Sanford OL 11

60Dudley Dursley C 12

61Jonathan Bailey OG 11

62Piers Polkiss DE 10

63Roger Klotz DL 12

64David Pell OG 10

65Walter Cunningham OL 11

67Martez House OG 10

68Eric Cartman OL/DL 10

70Augustus Gloop OG 12

71Jadarious McMurry OL 10

72Chumley Huffington C 10

74Neville Longbottom OG 10

75JR Wagner OL 10

76Grover Dill DL 12

77Justin Wilks DE 11

79Burris Ewell OL 11

81Kendrick McGee WR 11

83Montez Scott WR 10

85Viktor Krum TE 11

86Trent Boyett DE 10

87Ricky Armstrong WR 10

90Gregory Goyle DE 10

91Vincent Crabbe DL 11

93Troy McGinty DE 9

96Nelson Muntz DL 11


	5. Middleton Roster

And here is the roster for the Mad Dogs

MIDDLETON MAD DOGS

No Name Pos Hght Wght Grade

1 Carver Descartes WR 6'1 189 11

2 Chad Danforth RB 5'11 194 10

3 Lee Jordan CB 6' 197 12

4 Stan Marsh QB 5'9 184 11

5 Vince Lasalle CB 6'2 195 12

6 Tino Tonitini LB/SS 5'9 201 10

7 Ron Stoppable RB/FS 5'10 185 11

8 Token Black SS 5'9 215 12

9 Brick Flagg QB 5'8 169 10

10 Axel Brodie QB 5'11 202 10

11 Ladrecius Nesbitt WR 6'1 195 12

12 JD McCoy QB 5'7 161 9

13 LaDario Weathers RB 5'11 201 12

14 Kyle Broflovski LB 5'10 213 11

15 Dashiell Parr KR 5'4 155 9

16 Donny Dion RB 6' 180 10

17 Wyatt Williams WR/SS 5'11 200 10

18 Pete Ross WR 6'2 177 10

19 Troy Bolton FB 5'11 209 11

20 Brian Williams FB 5'10 224 12

21 Oliver Oken FS 5'11 199 11

22 Chalkey Studebaker LB 6'2 232 12

23 Milo Kamalani WR 5'7 173 10

24 Trevor Moore WR/CB 5'11 180 9

25 Tony Golia CB 5'9 183 10

26 Dwayne Robertson RB 5'10 192 10

27 Jonesy Garcia SS 6'1 202 10

28 Zeke Baylor RB/FS 5'8 185 10

29 Clyde Donovan DE 5'10 221 10

30 Oliver Wood TE 6'2 247 12

31 Jamie Davis CB 6' 200 12

32 Dean Thomas CB 5'11 191 11

33 Gerald Johanssen CB 5'8 165 10

34 Chad Morris RB/CB 5'9 170 9

35 Jude Lizowski DE/TE 5'10 195 10

36 Jimmie Zara FB 5'9 203 10

37 Eugene Thompson LB 6'3 241 12

38 Tracey Sketchit LB 5'10 214 11

39 Jimmie Hopkins LB 6'2 236 11

40 Dashiell Baxter TE 6'1 229 11

41 Jackson Stewart LB 5'9 184 10

43 Jason Cross FS 5'11 193 10

44 Jem Finch TE 5'9 204 10

46 Craig Tucker DE 5'10 228 10

47 Bridon Guermo LB 5'9 185 9

48 TJ Detwiler LB 6'3 235 12

49 Austin Ames LB 5'8 178 9

50 Boomer Bledsoe C 5'11 239 11

51 Doug Funnie DE 6'1 224 12

52 Kenny McCormick LB 6' 218 11

53 Kevin McCormick C 5'9 201 10

54 Brock Kelley DE 5'11 233 11

55 Bradley Cole LB 5'8 181 9

56 Seamus Finnegan G 5'10 256 11

57 Leopold Stotch DE 6' 222 11

58 Ash Bolden G 6'3 264 11

59 Adam Banks T 5'7 203 9

60 Devon Bailey C 6'4 279 12

61 Ray Hughes G 6'2 304 12

62 Trent Northwick G 5'11 247 10

63 Troy Miller T 6'1 245 11

64 Ben Bolden G 6'3 312 12

65 Marcus Belby T 5'9 256 12

66 Seth Kolbe G 5'8 236 10

67 Greg Goldberg DE 6' 245 12

68 Conrad Mundy T 5'9 227 9

69 Fulton Reed T 5'10 217 10

70 Harold Berman T 6'4 329 12

71 Charlie Conway DT 5'11 215 10

72 William White DT 5'9 233 10

73 Donny Rottweiler T 5'10 285 11

74 Chris Griffin DT 5'9 219 10

75 Mikey Blumberg DT 6'3 322 12

76 Buzz Winters DT 5'10 234 10

79 Skeeter Valentine T 6'1 298 12

80 Michael McKenzie WR 5'6 169 10

81 Jim Possible WR 5'8 158 9

82 Luke Stetson TE 5'10 209 10

83 Vince Blake TE 5'7 195 9

84 Terrell Nesbitt WR 5'9 178 10

85 Landry Clarke DE 5'8 197 9

86 David Childers P 5'9 185 11

87 Tim Possible WR 5'5 165 9

88 Lance Jackson WR 5'9 185 10

89 Zack Martin TE 5'11 209 10

91 Cory Baxter DT 5'10 232 11

93 Charlie Bucket K 5'8 177 10

94 Josh Mankey LB 5'11 197 10

97 Ralph Wiggum DT 6'1 297 12

99 Ladarius Jones DT 6'3 313 12


	6. Beginnings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that are mentioned, so if you want to go through the legal stuff, go to numbers 2 and 3. It ain't for monetary gain, it's for entertainment purposes only. I will also have a few real people, mostly in the South Panola plotline, around. So please don't sue.

Setting: Clinton, Mississippi, Thursday morning.

It was around 6:30am when the alarm went off on his clock.

Twenty-year old John, a junior in college, looked around at the various awards that he had received as an honor student and as a football statistician. He slowly woke up and walked to the kitchen where Mother was waiting, cooking breakfast.

He said his usual "Good Morning" greeting and prepared to sit down, coffee in hand, reading the sports section. Suddenly, the news came on, reporting that the Middleton High Mad Dogs, who are in Middleton, Mississippi, which is right next door to Hattiesburg "The Hub City" Mississippi, are preparing to take on the number one prep football team in the country, the South Panola High Tigers of Batesville, Mississippi in a best-of-seven series starting tomorrow. It was to determine who was, once and for all, the best team in the state. It was held every four years.

One of the reporters gave an interview to the Mad Dogs' head coach, Steve Barkin. He said the following, "With hard work, skill, determination, and maybe a little luck, we are going to show the Tigers who is number one." Barkin said this in a confident tone.

Mother said, "My, he sure does look charged up for this series."

John merely scoffed at this and responded "Huh, it's going to take more than just hard work, skill, determination, and dumb luck to beat South Panola." He knows this because he witnessed the Tigers in action a few times. He knew of just what their runners' speed can do to opposing defenses because his alma mata was crushed by these same Tigers in the North Half championship a few years ago. He knew some of the Tiger football culture that resided in Batesville, for he owns a pair of South Panola flip-flops.

Out of the 74 players on the Tigers' roster, two of them were five-star recruits and four of them were four-star recruits. He knew that the Mad Dogs would be walking into a trap. John did some studying of the stats on the computer between South Panola and Middleton and he knew that the Tigers obviously had an advantage in the running game and in the defense on all three levels. He repeated the three-word statement that became his mantra for doing football stats. "Stats never lie", he told himself.

Then Mother go on the computer after him and got onto the e-mail account. There, she discovered an e-mail from the Mississippi High School Activities Association director, stating that the Association needs a couple of statisticians to go to Middleton High to help do stats for the series. John was selected as one of those statisticians. He was assigned to go to Middleton. It's what the director said, and he abided by his rules.

Mother asked John, "Are you ready to do this?"

John, the football stat fanatic that he was, answered, "I am more than ready to do this."

So Mother commanded John to pack up his three-year old laptop and his AC adaptor. John did so and prepared for the long best-of-seven series that was in front of him. Later on that afternoon, the two headed out of the house and got in the car to drive the two hours from Clinton to Middleton.

It was going to be one wild series for the young statistician.

Setting: Batesville, Mississippi

The setup of the series, according to the MHSAA, was that the first two games would be played in Batesville and that the next two games would be held in Middleton. If a Game 5 was possible, it would be in Middleton and if there were a Game 6 and a Game 7, they would be both in Batesville.

Meanwhile, in Batesville, legendary Tiger coach Ricky Woods, who has won 89 straight games and five state titles with the Tigers, and his well-trained coaching staff was looking at the film that was acquired from the last Middleton Mad Dog game against the Lowerton Lemurs. Coach Wood's jaw dropped at the sheer speed of one particular player on the Mad Dogs team. He wore the familiar purple home jersey with the number 7 on it. He was zipping through the Lemur defense with ease.

Coach Woods commanded his defensive coordinatior, the man that was in charge of one of the most feared defenses in the nation, Arnie Stewart, to show his defensive starters the tape. Coach Stewart, age 48 and a eleven-year member on the team, did so and showed his starters.

Damon West, who was one of the best junior linebackers in the country, looked at the performance of the Mad Dog who wore number 7 on his jersey and said to his teammate who was sitting next to him, Bart Simpson, "We are going to have our hands full against number 7. I heard he broke his own school's rushing record." Bart responded, "Don't worry, our guys can contain him. All we need to do is to find where his weakpoints are." So, thus, the defensive starters observed the film for the next hour after practice as they try to come up with a strategy to stop number 7.

Coach Woods, however, noticed a certain flaw that can be exposed over and over again in the Mad Dog's defense: the run. He, of course, has a five-star senior tailback in Darius Griffin who ran for over 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns. Most importantly, he had number 16 on his team, the starting quarterback Deangelo Young. Among quarterbacks who can run the football for over 1,200 yards and 22 touchdowns and has thrown for 7 touchdowns , Deangelo was the best among them. He also starts at cornerback and has picked off six passes and two touchdowns and also played on special teams and returned a kickoff return for a touchdown. Best of all, he's only a junior. Evan Barksdale has also assisted him with 1,100 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. He also has the best offensive line with Augustus Gloop and Dudley Dursley as its seniors. Dontrell Avery also had 500 yards on the ground and six touchdowns scored for the Tigers. So, with a grand total of over 5,700 yards on the ground, exposing the Mad Dogs' weakness in defending the run would not be a problem at all in the series. The main problem for the Tigers was to contain number 7 on Middleton's roster. His name was Ronald Stoppable.


	7. When Two Worlds Collide

DISCLAIMER: Like I said, I don't own any of the characters.

I also do not own Days' Inn.

I also do not own Cadillac. It is the property of General Motors.

Setting: Hattiesburg, Mississippi: Middleton High School: Middleton High Stadium

Earlier on Wednesday

A late-November Wednesday evening was bittersweet for the Middleton High Mad Dogs football team. The football team, which has 90 players on its roster, had been practicing for the last three and a half hours in order to prepare for the first game against South Panola on Friday night. Thanksgiving break was coming up soon.

It was going to be a long night for Coach Steve Barkin, who had been sitting on the sidelines. He had been busy in his office for the last two weeks because he called up the athletic offices of nearby Grenada High School, which was 35 miles from Batesville, to see if the team could use their football stadium for practices for the first two games. The head football coach of Grenada High School agreed to use his football field and even called up the school district to use four of their yellow buses to transfer the team between the football field and the hotel that they would be staying in, the Days Inn of Grenada.

Speaking of which, the City of Hattiesburg agreed to pay for the team's four-day stay there. He also called up a charter bus company to send in three of their buses to carry the team, coaches, and managers to the hotel and from the hotel to Batesville on game day. Now that those issues were out of the way, the only thing Coach Barkin worried about was the series of games that his team would face against an elite prep football program.

He then looked at the Mad Dog's star running back who has guided them this far. Underneath the familiar purple number 7 jersey and the familiar purple Mad Dog football helmet with the letter "M" on it was a junior who stood around 5 feet 10 inches and weighed around a lanky 185 pounds. He had messy blond hair, brown eyes, and freckles on his cheeks. His name was Ronald "Unstoppable" Stoppable, a good example of Horatio Alger's rags to riches story. In Ron's freshman year, he was often picked on by the jocks and bullies. He gained some respectability as a sophomore for being the school's mascot, the "Middleton Mad Dog". It was his junior year that Ron decided to join the football team in mid-August because Coach Barkin recognized his "mad running skills". Ever since then, Ron has picked up the following numbers: 1,985 rushing yards, 19 TDs, a 7.9 avg per rush; 61 tackles and 4 picks as a safety; and at special teams he returned 2 kickoffs for touchdowns and a punt for a touchdown.

He called the entire Mad Dog team into a huddle. "Gentlemen, two days from now, we are going to face against the number one football team in the nation. Sports experts says that we only have a 10% chance to win the series. But here's what I'll say to them 'I'll prove you wrong because what I have here is 90 Mad Dogs that can take down the number one football team in the nation, and I will guarantee you this, we will march into Batesville and we WILL prove them wrong and WE WILL WIN" The Mad Dog players, along with Ron, cheered and chanted:

Who we are, MAD DOGS!!!!  
Who we are, MAD DOGS!!!!  
Who we are, MAD DOGS!!!!

(barking sounds)

Whhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooo

1......2.......3...................

Then,they put their helmets together in the 40 degree air,

MAD DOGS

and ended practice for the night.

After leaving the football field, Coach Barkin was planning to conferr with his assistant coaches with the issue of the Mad Dogs' Achilles heel. It was the run defense which, in 5A stats, was ranked 17th out of 32 teams. He suddenly got a call on his cell phone. It was the director of the MHSAA. He answered the phone:

_B: "This is Steve Barkin, coach of the Middleton Mad Dogs."_

Y: "Hello Mr. Barkin"

B: "Why, hello Mr. Yarborough, how is everything"

Y: "Fine, everything is going as scheduled for Friday. Listen about the statistician issue"

_B: "Yeah, I already have Felix Renton volunteering for statistics"_

Y: "I know, but this is his first year doing this. He needs guidance. He needs an expert beside him to do stats of a series of this magnitude"

B: "Well, who do you have in mind"

Y: "Well, I have a football statistician who is more than willing to work alongside Felix. He is very experienced in the field. He did stats for two years at Clinton High School and two years at Hinds Community College in Raymond. He is drawn to football stats like a magnet. I think you will find him to be a perfect fit with Felix"

B: "Excellent!! When can I meet him"

Y: "Tomorrow night. I'm going to send an e-mail to him. He still resides in Clinton and is a junior at Mississippi College over there"

B: "Perfect, I'll set the interview up in the fieldhouse. We'll get him on the bus on Friday morning"  


_Y: "Thanks for talking to you, Mr. Barkin. Have a good night"  
_

_B: "Good night"_

This would set up the meeting between John and Mr. Barkin in the fieldhouse that Thursday evening.

Kimberly Ann Possible has been through hell. It was not through foiling Drakken and Shego's latest scheme that got them sent to Parchman, which is where the State Penitentiary is located. She recently did a 10-page book report describing the horrors that resided within Parchman's grey sharped barbed-wire walls. Those two are going to be put away for a very long time, she thought.

No, her personal hell stems from her cheerleading practice. Although Kim loved cheerleading, it was the constant problems with the high school cheerleading captain: Veruca Salt.

She, according to Kim, is "so stuck up, that if you looked for the definition of 'spoiled brat', you would see the definition and a picture of her on it". Veruca has been getting away with things at Middleton High lately, like dressing as a teenaged hooker with the skirt about six inches from the knee and, yet, the schoolboard could not do anything about it. Even worse, Veruca always had issues with Mr. and Mrs. Salt about that her parents must obey her every whim. This becomes especially true when she continuously wants the most expenisive and luxurious items, even if she has to travel as far away as Meridian and Jackson to get what she demands, even in the midst of all of the bad news concerning the economy, and even when some of the money the recent bank bailout bill was spent on posh resorts and spas. Even though her parents are very well off, living in the western rich area of the city, her continuous spending habits is still, unknowningly, driving her family deeper and deeper into debt. She also has been proven, time and time again, to be the most promiscuous cheerleader on the cheer squad. To top it all off, she had been pulled over, arrested, and sent to Juvie for underage drinking and violating probation. The local news even covered the entireity of her entire trial, from her late appearance to court to the emotional outburst when her sentence was read right down to the tears where she was thrown into the police car. To make it even worse, her trial overshadowed that of the other local news of that day. She evenually spent two months in Juvie throughout last summer as a junior. No surprise. It did not change her at all.

Sure, she was a damn good cheerleader and an excellent motivational speaker on the field. It was her off-the-field issues that personally tortured Kim for the last two years. Kim also noted Veruca's usual personality. It's all about one person: her. Veruca wants the world to revolve around her, which means she is completely oblivious to current events in the news. She also has a very high tendacy to force her opinons on other people and, just recently, she dyed her hair dirty blonde and starting getting Cs and Ds on her progress report. All of this behavior parallels to a certain celebrity who has done those very same things. She ESPECIALLY loved to talk about that certain heiress to a hotel fortune and how she was "all that" and "perfect". Kim was seethed and angered at that celebrity and vowed to find anyone who opposed her. She was also dumbstruck at Veruca wasting her college tuition away on making her body "look perfect". This created a wide rift between these two cheerleaders.

So it was no different that, on Wednesday night, Veruca was trying to plan on having a "cook-out" at her mansion tomorrow night when, in reality, she just wanted to enhance her alreadu self-bloated ego. When that fell through, she began to whine and complain about how "life isn't fair". She usually took all of her bossiness out on Kim, Tara Queen, or one of the cheerleaders who doesn't "agree" with her point of view.

Bonnie Rockwaller was one of the cheerleaders who usually witnessed Veruca's temper tantrums off of the field. Even though she and Kim were rivals when it came to academics, they are the best of friends. This became especially true when anything involved Veruca and her altercations with Kim about "not doing things her way" or calling her "a middle-class call girl". Bonnie defended Kim every single time and demanded that Veruca must change her attitude.

After the football players broke practice for the night, the cheerleading practice still went on for the next 45 minutes. At the end of cheerleading practice, Kim was getting another tongue-lashing from Veruca.

The spoiled cheerleading captain senior threw yet another temper tantrum, "I want to have a fancy cookout at my mansion!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!"

The red-headed junior responded coldly, "The world doesn't revolve around you, Veruca. Even though you are the captain of this team, we are not going to have a fancy $800 cookout at your house."

Veruka rebuked her, "You're not fair!!! WAAAHHH!! I want to throw that partyyyyyyyy!!!!!!"

Kim, ignoring Veruca's bitching, responded "Look at where we are right now, we are in the middle of a deep recession, there are foreclosure signs all over town, and the stock market has been cut in half and you want to throw a $800 cookout??? Look at what happened to those stupid CEOs who got those multi-million dollar bonuses while the poor guy who worked there for 15 years gets a pink slip. The public does not take shit like that." She has been keeping track of the news.

Veruca looked dumbfounded through her tears, "I don't know what the hell you are talking about and I don't care about your stupid economical bullshit. I still want my $800 cookout!!!!!"

Bonnie, witnessing this altercation, came to Kim's aid. "Kim's right," Bonnie said "we are in the middle of an economic spiral and all you want to do is talk about having fancy barbecues and that stupid heiress and what idiotic rich crap she has done all the time. For the last time, we DO NOT WANT to listen to your 'opinions'!!"

As she said this, Camille Leon and London Tipton, Veruca's two "yes-women" showed up. It was according to Middleton High urban legend that Veruca would not be seen without either one of those girls by her side. They supported her every whim and live in the exact same spoiled-rich neighborhood Veruca was.

"You were, like, saying?" London asked with her usual sneer in her Southern Valley accent, a combination of the Southern dialect and Valley-speak. "Yeah, like, she's going to kick your ass!" Camille snickered with that same dialect.

Mrs. Katie Johnson, the head cheerleading coach, saw this altercation between Bonnie and Veruca and decided to play peace-maker. "All right, you two, break it up. We are not going to have this feud when we go to Batesville on Friday. Now, either you girls unite and show good sportsmanship to your team, or your ass is off of the team. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR??"

The tanned-skin and the dirty blonde gave angry looks to each other and responded "Yes, ma'am." Veruca, Camille and London then walked away from their argument to her posh $65,000 black Cadillac Escalade.

Meanwhile, Bonnie, still in her purple cheerleading uniform with a red trim and gold points on the bottom skirts, came to Kim's aid and asked "Hey K, what's up?".

Kim, whom by now was crying through her emerald eyes through all of Veruca's taunting, stood up, dried up her eyes. "I don't think I can go through with this, B. And now that this series is coming up, Veruca is going to taunt and insult me even more." She said this through the flowing of even more tears.

"Don't worry, K. I heard from the cheerleader coach that if Veruca acts up during this series, she is off of the team. More than likely, she is going to do idiotic crap like this and she is going to suffer the consequences for it." "Thanks B for making me feel better." Kim said with a comforting smile.

Bonnie replied,"You're welcome, K. Hey, that's what best friends do, right. Oh, and I forgot K. Mr. Dr.P called up about the cookout that he's having in his huge backyard tomorrow. Tara and some of the cheerleaders and a lot of the football players will be there, but not Veruca, Camille, or London." Kim gasped, now that her tears have ceased, "My gosh, you're right, I need to call up Ron." She quickly went to her purse and got her cell phone and called up Ron, who was sitting alone in front of the school.

_K: Hey Ron, what's up?_

R: Hey KP, how's practice?

K: It's the usual taunts from Veruca but I'm getting through it OK. Listen, you wanna go to the Bueno Nacho that's next to USM?

R: Sure, who's gonna be there.

_K: Me, you, Bonnie, Tara, Monique, Caitlin Cooke and Sharpay Evans. We're going to plan the cookout tomorrow evening over at my dad's. _

_R: Sure, you can just pick me up in the front of the school, KP. I'll be there, football uniform and all._

_K: I'll swing by in front of the school in around 10 minutes. Just let me get my stuff ready._

_R: OK KP. See ya in front of the school._

_K: Bye._

Then she hung up her cell phone. Not more than 45 seconds later, her cell phone rang again. This time, it was not Ron but Felix Renton, the team's volunteer statistician. She picked it up

_K: Hey Felix what's going on?_

F: Hey, Kim. I think I'm going to meet y'all there.

_K: Really?? No way!  
_

_F: See y'all there. Bye._

She turned off her cell phone and headed out to Sharpay's car, a 2005 Chevy Impala. Sharpay was there waiting for her, "Hey Kim, wanna head on over to Bueno Nacho?" Kim replied "Sure, but can you pick up Ron first, he's getting pretty lonely out there. Kim got in the car as Sharpay turned on the engine and headed out of the stadium parking lot to the front of the school where Ron was waiting.

Felix, despite his paralysis from the waist down, still fumbled with his Nachos Grande at Bueno Nacho in the midst of four-year olds crying in the playcenter that was next to him. He was about to start enjoying his dinner when he heard a ring from his cell phone. His HUD screen had Coach Barkin's photo on it.

_F: Hey, what's going on coach._

_B: Renton, I have an announcement for you._

_F: Shoot._

_B: I understand how this job of a volunteering statistician can be quite demanding sometimes. I just got off the phone with Mr. Yarborough._

_F: The MHSAA director_

_B: The very same, since the series is going to be very demanding on you, he suggested to hire an expert in football stats. He is a football statistician from Clinton and he is going to come over here to Middleton High tomorrow evening at 5:30 pm._

_  
F: Really?_

B: Yes, Renton. I am very serious about this. I want you to show him how we do football statistics here.

_F: I'll be on the case, sir._

_B: Good. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. Goodbye_

_F: Bye, Coach._

Felix was so happy, he could barely contain his excitement

Back at Middleton High, Ron, still in his recognizable purple number 7 jersey, looked to the left of the school and saw Sharpay's car. That meant only one thing to him: Bueno Nacho. With glee, Ron picked up his backpack and opened the back right door of the Impala where Kim and Sharpay were waiting. Caitilin, Monique, Tara, and Bonnie were in the other car. On the way to Bueno Nacho, they discussed about the latest gossip, current events, and what was going on within the economy.

Hard times seemed to have hit the Queen, Possible, Stoppable, Rockwaller, Evans and Cooke families as well.

The parents of all those families had to cut back on spending luxurious items and the seven teens adjusted to the hard times as well.

When they reached their destination of Bueno Nacho on Hardy Street, next to the campus of Southern Miss, they were surprised to find out that Felix was there before them. His parents dropped them earlier. So, the seven friends walked through the door and took their usual seats in the booth. The booth was barely big enough to hold them all but they barely managed to squeeze through.

They ordered the usual Nachos Grande when Felix approached up to them in his power wheelchair.

"Hey guys, guess what?"

"What?" Bonnie said while eating her way through the chips and salsa.

Felix continued, "I just got off with Coach Barkin a few minutes ago, I am going to have another football statistician with me in the press box."

Kim, Ron, Bonnie, Monique, Tara, Sharpay, and Caitlin all stopped eating momenetarily. "Really?" "What's he like" "Is he handsome" "Is he smart" were the responses from the other seven teens.

"I'm going to meet him tomorrow evening at 5:30 p.m. " Kim, suddenly breaking the overlapping of conversations, responded "Cool, then we can invite him over to my dad's cookout and show him around the town."

Felix then got an idea in his computer brain. "That's a good idea. Besides when is the cookout scheduled for?" he asked. "

"7:30" Kim responded. Bonnie, Tara, and Monique put that event in their PDAs. They do not want to miss this.

Ron broke in and said "So, what are going to do for the cookout. I can't eat pork, remember." Sharpay exclaimed "Oh right, you're Jewish, I almost forgot. Don't worry, I heard that Kim's mom is an excellent cook around the stove. I figure that she's going to make something either vegetarian or kosher for you and Kyle Broflovski." Ron said "Thank you, I don't want to miss this for the world, especially KP." Then the friends called up their parents and left Bueno Nacho very satisfied in terms of food and planning.

As Anne and James Possible arrived, Kim told her about her day in school. She told them about the latest barrage of insults and taunts from the high school cheerleading captain, Veruca.

"Don't hang around with that young lady" Mrs. Possible said "She is a very bad influence on young girls. I hope that you don't follow in her footsteps." Her red-haired daughter responded very calmly "I don't, but unfortunately, a couple of the cheerleaders follow her every single move." "Well, hopefully" Mrs. Possible replied, "I hope you don't go down that road." Mrs. Possible was a well renowned brain surgeon at Forrest General Hospital, which is convenient for her because it is close to the house.

Kim then turned to her father for news about the cookout. Mr. Possible currently works over at the Stennis Space Center as an astronomer and he, too, was well-known for his work. "So what's the news on the cookout?", Mr. Possible asked.

"Well," Kim responded "it almost follows your rules exactly: no Veruca, London or Camille; no alcohol, no 'extracurricular activities' like over at the Salts, no smoking, no drugs, no alcohol, and no destruction to our property."

Mr. Possible was well pleased with this. "Good, but what do you mean by 'almost following my rules'?" he wondered, "You're not inviting any boys to get busy with my Kimmie-cub, huh?"

Kim responded "No. I talked with Felix and he said that there is going to be another football statistician working with him. Judging from his tone, I gues he seems to be very well-mannered. If he comes into town, could I invite him over to your house, please????

Mr. Possible, giving a deep sigh, said "All right, you can have him over to the house. As long as he follows my rules, I'll be one happy dad."

Kim, energetic by this response, said "Thanks, Daddy. It means so much to me."

Switching topics, she then asked if her parents are going to go to Batesville. Both said yes because not only Kim was on the team but also her annoying Tweebs, Jim and Tim Possible, were on the football team as third-string wide receivers, numbers 81 and 87 respectively. The Possible spouses were more than willing to take a four-hour trip to watch their daughter cheerlead and their sons to sit on the sidelines for most of the series.

Kim, exhausted from practice and friends, hung up her cheerleading uniform on her bedroom door and put on her pajamas. It was now 10:30 and the _Tonight Show with Jay Leno _came on. The Possibles, now pajama clad, watched it as a family together. Then at 11:00, all of the Possible family, and the rest of Middleton High School, went to sleep. They knew of the perils they have to face together against South Panola in only two days. Kim wondered, in her sleep, what this "statistician from Clinton" looked like.


	8. Cake Day

**Disclaimer: Again, i don't own the characters. They are owned by their respective properties. I also want to keep some of the South Panola coaches' real names, so I don't own them either. I especially want to keep the Tigers' team manager intact, Von Sanford. He ramains the face of South Panola football and brings great inspiration to the team. I do not own the rights either. **

Cake Day.

The two words that, in South Panola terminology, means a lot. It is a signature Tiger tradition every Thursday after practice. This Thursday was no different at all. After practicing for the last three hours in the setting sun over the University of South Panola, the 79 Tiger players went into the field house. There, they would get an assortment of goodies, including various types of cupcakes. The starters got the goodies first, then the second team, then the third team or "crabs" as they are usually called. The players, including Scut Farkas, Deangelo, Damon, Bart, Nelson Muntz and Trent Boyett were continuously swapping for better treats. The only way that the players can get these goodies was through Devon Sanford, "Von" as he is commonly called.

Von Sanford continuously handed out the goodies to all of the Tiger players. Von is the team's equipment manager. Although being diagnosed with Down's syndrome and being hard to understand, he has made an impact on all Tiger players that he has ever met, past and present. He has been the equipment manager for the last 16 years and has been to every state title game with the Tigers. He also has a wardrobe of football jerseys and even serves as the team's unofficial mascot. Von also performs his own version of the "Super Bowl Shuffle" every time the Tigers score a touchdown. He was, and still remains to this day, an intertwined part of South Panola football.

The day before before Game 1 against the Mad Dogs, the only thing that the Tigers' defense had on their minds was shutting down Ron Stoppable. Vincent Crabbe, the backup defensive lineman, said to Evan Nordan, the junior fullback/linebacker, "I heard that he can tear our defenses into mincement." Evan responded, "We need to concentrate as a team to defeat the Mad Dogs. It seems that stopping Stoppable is our number 1 priority." Evan agreed and continued to trade cakes. Deangelo, the star quarterback on the team, talked over his starting offense in a huddle, "We need to expose that weakness of the Mad Dogs run defense. We have the best running game in the nation." He pointed to his five-star senior teammate, Darius. Deangelo continuted, "I know we can win this series. We have to take this very seriously. ALRIGHT" The other offensive players shouted "ALLRIGHT" and broke practice for the evening.

Coach Woods looked over with his linebacker coordinator, Willis Wright, and talked about the defensive plan that could stop Middleton in its tracks.


	9. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: As I said before, go to parts 2 and 3 for the disclaimer information. I do not own Coach Eric Taylor or Coach Mac MacGill because they are owned by NBC. **

**I also do not own Grant Taylor, J.T. Hawkins, or Brady Owens because they are a part of Sherwood Pictures. **

**I don't own the schools listed here (Clinton, MC, or Hinds) **

**I don't own Xbox or Halo, they are property of Microsoft, I ain't here to endorse products.**

**I don't own the Automated Scorebook either.**

**The part where Felix becomes the volunteer statistician from "Back on the Mat" gave me an idea to expand his experiences quite a bit. **

Setting: on US Highway 49

Thursday afternoon

John got out of Mississippi College As John traveled down Highway 49, a rush of images came through his head. It has been a full year since he did the football statistics for a team. He had been practicing doing football stats for fun. Now, this was a very serious business. After a two-hour journey, Mother dropped John off at Middleton High School at quarter to 5. As the detention students filed out, Coach Barkin was still out at Middleton High Stadium doing the last Thursday nght practice before Game 1 tomorrow. As John walked into Middleton Mad Dog territory for the first time, he was wowed. The high school, itself, was very well kept. He proceeded to walk down to the Middleton Gym. Attached to the Gym was the Mad Dog Field House where all of the athletic offices were held. Barkin's office was located in the fifth door to the right down a long hallway. John then proceded to wait for the next hour. There, Felix was waiting to get the first glimpse of the statistician that he's going to work with for the next few weeks.

Setting: Middleton high school

earlier that day

The Thursday before the big game was like any other day for Kim. She got a 94 on her report on Parchman, considering that she waited a week before even beginning on the project. In the afternoon, she went down to cheerleading practice where she got the usual verbal abuse and tantrums from Veruca, although they were more toned down than yesterday. Maybe she learned her lesson from yesterday. Nahh, thats not Veruca's style, Kim thought as the two-hour cheerleading practice got underway in the gym. Maybe she's preparing the worst of her royal tantrums for tomorrow night if the Mad Dogs lose to the Tigers. If that was the case all she can do was cover her ears, because she cannot stand anymore of Veruca's tantrums. They were slowly destroying the morale of the Middleton Mad Dog Cheerleader Squad.

(At Middleton High Stadium)

The final Thursday practice was a web of events going on. Quarterback coach Eric Taylor was warming up junior starting quarterback Stan Marsh on a few extra passes. Offensive Corrdinatior Mac MacGill went through his wide receivers, especially Carver Descartes and Stacey Logan. Special Teams coach J.T. Hawkins was going through the punting procedures with Gus Griswold. Linebackers coach Brady Owens made final preparations to try and plug up the holes in his 18th-ranked rashing defense. While all of this was going on, Coach Barkin gave a deep sigh. He knew his team was facing against impossible odds against the football juggernaut of South Panola. He wanted his team to know that he was behind them, 100% of the way. He decided to break practice early at 5:15 so that his team can go through final preparations for Game 1.

While waiting for Coach Barkin to come out of practice, John sat around in Barkin's office and did what he does best: look up football programs from Southern Miss of years past. After 20 minutes of waiting, John was about to leave when a creak of a door caught his attention. Felix Renton caught his very first glimpse of the superior statistician that he was to work under. John's appearance took Felix by surpise. John was a young man in his early-20s with messed-up black hair, thinly rimmed glasses, and a moustache. It was not a fake mustache, it was a real mustache. Felix guessed to himself that it had been there for about a couple of years. He entered the door and the two statisticians came face to face with each other.

"Hi there", Felix said first "I guess you must be the statistician that Coach Barkin was telling me about."

"That's true," John said, "I understand that y'all have a series to go through."

Felix replied "That's right" John said "Oh yeah, we haven't met, my name is John Harper. I have been doing stats for the past four years."

Felix then proceeded to introduce himself, "My name is Felix Renton, this is my first year doing stats for the Mad Dogs."

Both statisticians then proceeded the way how to do stats. Felix's approach was more of using a laptop to do the statistics. John's approach was far more old-fashioned: using a pad and pencil, and it had worked for him. "I'll tell Coach Barkin that you're here.", Felix said as he left Barkin's office in his power wheelchair.

In the fieldhouse, a huge football classroom was filled up with 90 tired Mad Dogs. Coach Barkin and his nine assistant head coaches went up in front of the class room. He prepared the Tigers' game film that was given to him. He dimmed down the lights, and showed the Mad Dogs, including Ron , for the first time who they were going against:

_All right, the opponent that you will face in this series is the South Panola Tigers. The Tigers are not only the best team in the state but also the best prep football progam in the nation. They have won 89 straight games since 2003 and have won five state titles. They have a couple of five-star recruits and three four-star recruits on their team. They have a well-trained coaching staff, an unstoppble rushing attack, a very talented offensive line, and the most powerful and dangerous starting D that I have seen in my 11 years of coaching Mad Dog football. Defeating them, especially on their home turf, will not be an easy task. Stoppable, you will try to run some up the middle and some on the sides. We are going to use a variety of looks, offensive and defensive, to confuse the Tigers. We need to give our running game, especially with Stoppable, Weathers, and Williams, some running room. That way we can set up play-action passes from our starting quarterback, Marsh. This, I think, is the key aspect to beating South Panola. The only thing that the Tigers are vulnerable to is special teams, so we need you Stoppable (he points to Ron) to do kickoff and punt returns. You seem to have a knack for finding the end zone. I believe that, with your help, we can be the sports analysts' odds and pull off the greatest upset in all of not just Middleton Mad Dog football history, but in ALL of High School Football history. _

The Mad Dogs, in their usual purple football uniforms and gold pants with red stripes on them, cheered for Coach Barkin chanting: B-A-R-K-I-N, B-A-R-K-I-N,B-A-R-K-I-N. A tear came to his eye. He had never been so proud of his players in his life. Ron also had a teardrop from his left brown eye. He was going to be one of the greatest football players in all of high school football, not just in the Magnolia State but also in the country. It was now 6:10. Ahhhhhh, the barbecue, Ron screamed in his mind. Barkin sensed that Ron and some of the football players needed to attend the cookout over at the Possibles. Barkin came up to his star running back "Stoppable, you have proven, time and time again to be the best running back that I have ever seen. Why don't you get some rest and relaxation over this cookout that I hear that's going on at Possible's house." Ron, knowing that he had worked hard at practice all week long and that he was tired, sweaty, and exhausted, exclaimed "Sure Coach, thanks." "You're welcome, Stoppable" remarked Barkin. About 37 of the Mad Dog players left for the cookout over at the Possibles. The remaining 53 players left and rested up for the long day ahead tomorrow.

After the Mad Dog players had been dismissed, Felix knocked on the door. "Hey Coach, the new stat guy is here." Felix reminded Barkin. "Oh right, thanks for reminding me, Renton. I almost forgot." The two headed out of the classroom to head to the office. John was still there, in the waiting room. Barkin and Felix both took a deep breath and began their interview with John.

_J: I presume that this is Coach Steve Barkin._

_F: The very same. Now, is is all right if he calls you by his last name? He always does this with everyone in this school. _

_J: Sure, its cool by me._

_B: So, what's your name?_

_J: John Harper._

_B: So, Harper, what are your credentials to do the statistician position throughout this series?_

J: I had two years at Clinton High School and two years at Hinds Community College.

_B: I have also heard that you have traveled throughout the state with those two teams, is that true?_

J: Yes sir, I have been from Olive Branch to Poplarville, where Pearl River is.

_B: Wow, are you content on doing stats with your regular method of pen and pad or are you comfortable on doing them on your laptop (he points to John's three-year old laptop). I have electrical outlets in the pressbox for two laptops in the statistician room._

_J: You have a stats room?_

B: Sure, want me to take you there?

_J: Sure, why not._

He then took John to the Middleton High Stadium. The stadium has a stadium capacity of 11,000 (9,000 home and 2,000 away). It also has a two-level pressbox. At the bottom of the bleachers was an elevator that Felix normally uses. Then he guided John to the stats room where he and Felix will be working when the series hits Middleton High in Games 3 and 4. It was complete with two electrical outlets and plenty of space so that Felix can move around with relative ease. After he showed them the room, the three went back to Barkin's office. The interview continued.

_B: So, what are your other talents off the football field?_

J: I know the Super Bowls 

_B: Alright, who won Super Bowl V_

_J: That's easy, the Baltimore Colts won it on a last second field goal, 16-13._

_B: Damn, he's perfect. Well, welcome aboard Harper. Welcome to the Middleton Mad Dog family. So who do you think will win the series._

_  
J: Well, judging from the stats, it says that South Panola will win hands-down._

_B: Why do you say that??_

J: Well, the reason why I say that is because your rushing defense, which is ranked 17th in 5A football is going up against the legendary running of game of the Tigers. Your defense is going to be dissected by the Tigers.

_B: We covered that this afternoon!_

J: Well, the Tigers are going to exploit it over and over and over again. This is my three-word motto, Coach Barkin, and this is what I live by: Stats _never __ lie. I analyze every single piece of the stats, and it has never failed me._

_B: Well, hopefully we'll prove you wrong, son. Say, Harper, on the day of the pep rally, why don't you write down the final score of Game 1 and when Game 1 is over, we'll see. You have a very smart brain. Besides, son, what is your ACT score _

_J: 26 sir, I was ranked 18th in my high school graduating class, also had a 3.995 GPA at Hinds, and currently have a 3.8 GPA at Mississippi College, so yes, I do have a smart brain._

_B: Well, he looks about as smart as Renton. Again, thanks for helping doing stats with us._

_J: You're welcome sir._

Felix then looked at the clock. It was 7:15. He needed to get to the cookout where Kim, Ron, Bonnie, Caitlin and the others were waiting for him. He said to John "Hey John, there's a cookout over at Kim Possible's house. Wanna come??" John responded "Yes, I am more than willing to come to a cookout."

It had been a very long time that John had a cookout with his old high school friends. He remembered that he used to bring along his Xbox and play Halo against them all the time whenever a cookout occurred. He really missed those times. So, without further ado, Felix and John said goodbye to Coach Barkin and departed for the Possibles' cookout.


	10. Kim's Trauma

**Disclaimer: See number 2 and number 3 **

**In response to KP's Man's first review, here's why Kim Possible did NOT get the cheer captain position. **

**I do not own Bebe Stevens, she is property of South Park and is owned by Matt Stone and Trey Parker.**

Setting: Hattesburg, Mississippi

Time: 6:00 PM Thursday

Location: James and Anne Possible's house

As Mr. and Mrs. Possible prepared for the football cookout which is slated at 7:30, Kim rested for an hour and a half on her bed after suffering from another barrage of the verbal barbs of Veruca, Camille, and London from this afternoon's cheerleading practice. Cheerleading practice had ended earlier than she anticipated. She continued to toss and turn in her purple cheerleading uniform. She thought back to the day where she could have been the cheerleading captain. She wished if those three hadn't ruined her life. She remembered it as if it were yesterday.

(Three Years Ago)

Kim Possible, then an energetic 13-year old, was emerging out of Middleton Junior High with all A's on her report card and so was her close friend, Bonnie Rockwaller. They soon discovered a flier for cheerleading tryouts for the Middleton High School Cheerleading Squad. So, on a stormy summer day, both Kim and Bonnie reported to the Middleton Gym where 40 girls were trying out. Only 22 could make it on the Cheer Squad and only three of those cheerleaders could make it as the Captain and the two Co-Captains. Bonnie took the safer route and became a regular cheerleader. First up was for Captain, the leading position.

Kim said to Bonnie, "With my athletic ability that I've honed over the past couple of months, B, I'll be on top of the pyramid."

"I sure do hope so for your sake, K, because I heard Veruca is coming to town with Camille and London."

Kim asked "Who is Veruca, Camille, and London?"

Just as she said those words, the gym doors swung open. A bolt of lightning flashed in the sky and a gust of wind of 20 mph blew across three shadows of glamour, ritz, and brattiness.

"Those three, K" Bonnie warned silently "They are Veruca Salt, Camille Leon, and London Tipton, the three snottiest cheerleaders ever to come across Middleton Junior High."

A young 13-year old Tara Queen whispered in Kim's ear, "I heard that they started to watch this 'Simpleton Life' where some dumb blond heiress and her illlegitimate friend frolic around like a bunch of idiots. And they watch it on a neverending basis."

"All right" Veruca stated to her cronies "London, Camille, get to the co-captain positions. Make sure those other cheerleaders do not occupy those slots." "Yes, Veruca" London and Camille said as they waited in line. "I want to be captain of the cheerleading squad where everyone will obey and respect me. Who is there to challenge me?", Veruca sneered as she looked into the crowd of scared cheerleaders.

There was no denying it, Veruca had the perfect body of a cheerleader. She also had enough flexilibility and agility to rival anyone that she faced. It would eventually be her off-the-field antics that got the most attention. Only the red-haired Kim stood out of that scared crowd, "I will challenge you, Veruca, and you will lose." So, there were the two soon-to-be cheerleaders: Kim Possible on the left, Veruca Salt on the right. The dance music began.

The cheers started off slow and both competitors followed the music quite well. Then, the cheering evolved into solo dance moves. The solo dance moves became more and more complex. In the end, it was a tie. So, the tryouts moved to the next part, the cheer pyramid. The cheerleaders who already made into the roster it were divided into eight cheerleaders for Kim and eight cheerleaders for Veruca. Bonnie was part of Kim's side. Again, like the cheers, the pyramid movements started out simple and basic. But, over a course of 55 minutes, they became more advanced. Still, it ended up as a tie between Kim and Veruca.

There was one dance move left, one that could make or shatter the dreams of earning the coveted position of a cheerleading captain. It was known as "The Penta-Twister". This was where 8 girls will throw one competitor up and the other 8 cheerleader would throw the othe one in the air. The two competitors will remain in the air simultaneouly and twirl 5 times 15 feet into the air. Whoever lands the competitor feet first without suffering any injuries, then the winning girl will be named cheerleading captain for the next four years. The procedure went off as normal. Everything was fine until the fifth and final twirl for Kim. Her right ankle, which had suffered under three grueling hours of cheerleading tryouts, suddenly gave way. She was now in mortal danger. Bonnie said to the other seven cheerleaders "Help, save Kim please" Sharpay Evans, Caitlin Cooke, and Tara, which were with Kim's group, immediately extended their hands with Bonnie and saved Kim's 4'11 83 lb. frame from her 15-foot freefall of death. With quick thinking, Bonnie saved Kim's life.

Bonnie then asked an exhaused Kim, "Does anything hurt, K?"

Kim weakily replied, "Yeah, B, my right ankle."

Bonnie replied "How bad is it, K?" Kim tried to stand up on her own power, but soon felt the full force of the injury of her ankle. Kim instantly fell in a heap and tears endlessly flowed from her emerald eyes, knowing that she lost her chance at the cheerleading captain position to Veruca.

Veruca, meanwhile, pulled off the Penta-Twister with relentless ease, all because she weighed 10 pounds less than Kim. She went through all five twists without any injuries and landed on her feet. So, Vercua did win the cheerleading captain position fair and square. But what came next would scar Kim to this day.

Veruca came up to an injured and crying Kim and insulted her "Awww look at the poor baby crying over her widdle old ankle, look at the tears falling down from her eyes." Then, to pour further salts in the wound, Veruca, Camille, and London joined in with each other in saying "red-headed coward, red-headed coward,red-headed coward,red-headed coward"

Bonnie, Tara, Sharpay, Caitlin, and Bebe Stevens carried an injured, humiliated, and crying Kim outside the gym doors. After Kim unceremoniously left the gym, Veruca took a box cutter in her knapsack and cut the mat where Kim's wet tears were still present and put the wet mat cutting into a glass jar that she hangs over her bed. She wanted to "glorify her triumph over the red-haired loser". London and Camille eventually got the co-captain positions.

Even thoug the first stom stopped, a second storm with rumbles of thunder was approaching the gym as Bonnie quickly called up Mrs. Possible on her cell phone. Luckily, Mrs. Possible was on break from doing brain surgery for the last 6 hours. She heard about the horrible news of Kim's broken right ankle and quickly picked her poor daughter up from the gym in her SUV, along with the other five girls. She got them to Forrest General. As the thunder rumbled across the sky, she got all the girls inside the hospital before the rain came down in sheets. As the rain continued to pour down heavily on the waiting room window, the five girls, especially Bonnie, hoped for some good news to come out of this traumatic mess.

Two hours passed, and the doctor gave them the good news and the bad news. "What we have on Kim was a right ankle sprain, very common in cheerleading especially in tryout season. Here's the good news: with the right dose of rehab, training and pain medications, she'll be able to walk again within a month. The bad news is that she would have to refrain from any strenuous activity for the next 2 months." All of the girls cheered as Kim came out of Forrest General in crutches. She was not willing to back down from a challenge. The tears that she cried earlier were gone.

In fact, in her freshman year, she did re-try as a cheerleader and quickly made it back to the team, but did not aim for cheerleading captain because of the doctor's orders and what she went through. She knew what happened on that fateful day with Veruca. Veruca and her two cronies, Camille and London quickly welcomed her back with barrages taunts and jeers. This has been going on for two and a half years. "Red-headed coward" was among Veruca's most favorite insult to use against Kim, but Veruca was smart enough to avoid saying those words in front of Kim during her sophomore and junior year. This was now Veruca's final year as the Middleton captain. All she saw in her three years as catain was moral decay among her and her co-captains and a divided cheerleading camp between the ever-fading minority who supported Veruca and the ever-growing majority who supported Kim. She didn't even know it yet until the football series with South Panola brough it to light again. Although they seemed unified on the football field and, in season, basketball court, there were many off-the-field issues with the Middleton cheerleaders under Veruca's leadership. And Veruca was about to new and unexpected adversaries to challenge her "authority".


	11. The Cookout

**Disclaimer: I own neither Gerald or Shelia Broflovski, nor Chris or Linda Stotch, nor Randy or Sharon Marsh, they are the property of South Park.**

**I don't own the Clinton Arrows, Olive Branch, or Mississippi College**

**I also do not own the rights to the Xbox 360, Halo 3, Call of duty 5, or Gears of War 2; They are owned by Microsoft, Bungie, EA, and Epic Games (Cliffy B) respectively, although I do own the system and games. So that makes it about even.**

**This chapter is based on the cookouts that I had when I was a senior football statistician over in high school.**

After going through her painful flashback, Kim rejoined with her parents to prepare for tonight's cookout. It was now quarter to 7. To help with Ron and Kyle' s Jewish food dilema, Mr. and Mrs. Possible brought in Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable along with Gerald and Shelia Broflovski to help out making kosher foods for both of their sons. Kim, meanwhile, put the finishing touches on the outside of the Possible house, including the "Go Maddogs" logo on the front door. In the spacious basement below, Kim, Sharpay, and about 10 other cheerleaders were putting the finishing touches on the game banner signs saying: "Go Mad Dogs, Cage the Tigers", "We Love our Mad Dogs", "Mad Dogs R Number 1", "Beat the Tigers", and "Let's go Mad Dogs". Liz had the job of furling up the Middleton flag that they usually fly on the field. The Middleton banner was white with the red, purple, and gold "M" on it. Of course, there was no Veruca, London, or Camille there at the Possibles, although she ordered that the banners need to be put on the cheerleading bus immediately after the pep rally.

The first Middleton football players converged on the Possible household at 7. Stan Marsh, the starting quarterback, TJ Detwiler the star lineback, Carver Descartes the wide receiver, Oliver Wood the star tight end, and Vince Lasalle the star senior cornerback were the first to come out. They were coming out with barbecued meat in their hands, wrapped in aluminum foil.

Stan called out "Hey Mr. Possible, is everything ready yet?"

Mr. Possible responded "Not yet, Stan. The cookout is going to begin in about 30 minutes."

Stan responded "Hey, my parents are coming as well."

Mr. Possible said, "Cool Stan."

Vince called out "Hey Mr. Possible, where do you want us to put the meat?"

James responded by pointing to the table that was next to the garage, "Over there, Vince."

Vince responded "Thanks, Mr. Possible." Mr. Possible responded "You're welcome, Vince."

It was a Mad Dog tradition that the starters and seniors always come first to the party. Meanwhile, Kim was putting the final touches of Mad Dog Pride all over the house. There was Mad Dog memorabilla all around the house.

The next car to arrive at the Possible household had Ron, the star running back. He had Brian and Ladario Weathers along with him. Rap music was blasting through the speakers as Brian turned his car off. Kim immediately saw Ron getting out of Brian's car, ran out of the house, and greeted him with hugs from his favorite sidekick. The two walked into the basement. Kim showed him the banners that the girls worked so hard to make. Ron, in return, told her that he had just talked with Felix.

He said that he's going to bring the new statistician here tonight at 7:30. Kim was so excited to meet him to see what statistics he has for the Mad Dogs. Then, Ralph Wiggum, the best defensive lineman on the team, pulled up his Jeep Grand Cherokee in the Possible driveway. He brought along Skeeter Valentine, Greg Goldberg, and Mikey Blumberg and all three brought huge porkchops to the meat table. Butters Stotch was the next player to drive up with Seamus Finnegan, Brock Kelley and Doug Funnie in his car. Likewise, they brought burgers and barbecue sauce. The cheerleaders in the basement, especially Bonnie, immediately smelled the grilled meat. They proceeded to take a break from preparing the banners to enjoy the crowd upstairs.

In Felix's car, John wondered how he would have a good time at the Possibles. As part of John's tradition, it was his primary job to provide entertainment. So, before he left for the trip, he not only packed up his laptop but also his Xbox 360 and his three most favorite games: Halo 3, Gears of War 2, and Call of Duty 5. He figured he would player the single-player campaign with the football players and a couple of the parents and multiplayer with the girls.

Felix said to John, "Now, John, if I know Dr. Mr. Possible, he's a little strict and has a set of rules. So I'd encourage you to bring the 360 but only bring along two of those three games."

John said, "I'm selecting Halo 3 and Gears of War 2."

Felix said, "Good, now we are all set. Ah, here we are, the Possible household."

As the car approached the Possible household, John could barely contain his excitment. John stepped out of Felix's car. It felt like he went two and a half years back in time. The first people he met were Kim's parents. Mr. Possible and Mrs. Possible introduced themselves to John.

Mr. Possible asked, "So you're the new football statistician. I'm Kim's father, James Possible and this is my wife, Ann Possible. What's your name, son?"

"My name is John Harper, sir" John introduced himself as well.

"So thats your Xbox 360 right there?" James asked.

John replied "Yes sir, where can I set it up?" "In the basement, but be careful John, my Kimmie-cub and her friends are working on banners downstairs. We have an HD-tv that we got a few months ago before all of this economy news started to bubble up",

Mr. Possible replied. "Cool", John replied and he walked down the narrow steps that led to the basement. He saw the HDtv that Mr. Possible was talking about and the banners that the Mad Dog cheerleaders have worked hard to set up. John plugged in the 360 to the TV and turned it on. He then set up the four 360 controllers, two wired controllers and the two wireless controllers with fresh batteries and plugged them in as well. John went back upstairs and started to introduce himself to the Mad Dog football players and cheerleaders.

By 7:45, several of the Mad Dog second and third-string players arrived at the Possible household. Oliver Oken, Cory Baxter, Austin Ames, Bridon Guermo, Jason Cross and Jackson Stewart arrived next. They were followed by Kyle Broflovski, Jonesy Garcia, Jimmie Zara, Tracey Sketchit, Zeke Baylor, Chad Danforth, Jude Lizowski, Troy Bolton, Tino Tonitini, Chalkey Studebaker, and Craig Tucker. The Tweebs, Charlie Bucket, Gus, and Josh Mankey were the last football players to arrive at the party. In all, 37 of the Mad Dog players were attending the party. Luckily, many of the parent chaperones were there to keep an eye on them, including the Possibles, Marshes, Broflovskis and Stoppables. Chris and Linda Stotch were there to keep an eye on things as well. Wanda Rockwaller, whom was divorced, kept an eye on the cheerleaders' banners to make sure that they were not ruined. Mrs. Tonitini was there as well. There were about 12 parent chaperones and they have known each other for a long time. It was no suprise that this cookout was well-planned and well- coordinated. They also made sure that Mr. Possible's house rules were respected.

While Kim was socializing with Bonnie and Caitlin, she caught the attention of John. He was wearing his usual attire of a button-up shirt and warmups. The red-haired cheerleader came up to John and said "Hello, my name is Kimberly Possible and I assume you must be the new football statistician who's going to work with Felix, is that right?" "Yep, and my name is John Harper, I have been interested in football statistics ever since I was in the sixth grade. It wasn't until my junior year in high school that I became a volunteer statistician for the Clinton Arrows football team for two seasons. After I graduated, I went to Hinds Community College in Raymond and did stats there for the next two football seasons. So yes, Kim, I have seen a lot in the state of Mississippi. I have been to all 43 games that I've ever done football stats." Felix suddenly chimed in from his wheelchair, "He's also smart as well, he knows every Super Bowl." Kim then tested John "All right John, who won Super Bowl 20?" John replied "That's easy, the 1985 Chicago Bears won the game 46 to 10. The Bears also held the Pats to seven yards rushing, a Super-Bowl low."

Kim was amazed at his very deep knowledge and then changed topics to the series. "So, according to your statistics, who do you think will win the series?" John laughed a little bit, looked at the team comparisons, and answered "Well, even though you have a pretty good running game, the stats say that South Panola will easily triumph over Middleton."

Kim was surpised "Why do you say that?"

John responded "Well, your team is going up against the number one football program in the nation and The Mad Dogs' rushing defense is ranked in the middle of 5A football. The Tigers are perched on the top of rushing offense." Felix, again, chimed in. "Yeah, that's what he believes, stats don't lie." Kim responded "Well, John, football stat comparisons can be wrong sometimes. Was there any game that you did stats over that the comparisons actually lied to you?" John remarked "Well there was this one instance that the Arrows faced against Olive Branch in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. I believed that Olive Branch would win because I did my usual comparison of the stats. The only team that Olive Branch would normally lose to is South Panola. Well, Clinton defeated Olive Branch on their turf 17 to 13. That was the only upset that I've ever witnessed in my stat career."

Kim was amazed "Wow, you have seen a lot haven't you?"

"Yep," John responded, "well anyways, can I meet some of your other friends?"

Kim and John walked on over to Bonnie. John introduced himself to her "My name's John Harper, I'll be doing stats for your team during this series." Bonnie introduced herself as well, "My name is Bonnie Rockwaller, Kim and I have been friends for quite a while. We've been on the cheerleading team since we were freshmen. How old are you anyways, John?" John replied "I am 20 years old and a junior at Mississippi College." Bonnie was wowed at this "Wow, I've never met a college student before. You must be pretty smart." "You just have, Bonnie, and yes I am an extremely smart and bright young man" John said. Bonnie shook John's hand, "Welcome aboard to the Mad Dog family, I hope you do pretty good as a statistician with Felix, he can churn out numbers faster than I can understand."

She laughed with John and all three of them went to the meat table where the food was ready. They all ate the steak and were pretty satisfied. "Wow, you must've eaten the whole steak" Bonnie reacted after seeing John's empty plate. John remarked, "Yep, I can eat almost anything except for saltine crackers. On another topic, I have my Xbox 360 all plugged up. We can play some Halo 3 and Gears 2." Bonnie, besides cheerleading, was a pretty decent player of shooting video games. She accepted his generous offer. She and John easily defeated Butters and Josh in Halo 3. They also played through the first two acts on co-op campaign on Gears 2 on the Casual difficulty.

John met some more of the cheerleaders, including Tara, Sharpay, and Caitlin, and they were blown away by his football knowledge. They became immediate friends with John. Kim then noticed Ron, enjoying his kosher meal. Kim then asked John, "Want to meet our star of the game? He's right there." She was pointing to her sidekick. "Hey, Ron, this is John Harper, the new statistician; John, this is Ron Stoppable, he's our star running back" Ron finished up his kinishas that Mrs. Broflovski made for him "Pleased to meet ya, John." He shook his hand with John and was, like the cheerleaders and football players that he met tonight, amazed at his in-depth knowledge of football. He and Ron became fast friends. In other words, everyone had a good time at the Possibles.

It was now quarter to 11. The Mad Dog football players left the Possible household. Only Ron, John, Felix, Kim, Tara, and Bonnie remained at the house. Kim agreed with her father for her friends to stay a little later with Tara and Bonnie so that they could finish the banners.

As the final touches were put on the banners, Ron approached Kim with a gift. "Since we are going to be away from each other on the trip to Batesville, I want you to have this."

Ron gave Kim a harmoncia. Kim was very excited over this gift of appreciation from the longtime friend that she had known since Pre-K. She was a very avid harmonica player, learning some of the aspects of the Delta blues. This became especially true after that near-fatal injury at cheerleading tryouts three years ago and the venomous insults hurled out by Veruca and her possee. One day, while she was recovering from the injury, she went to the local music store and found a BluesBand harmonica. She bought it for three dollars and started to play it 30 minutes a day as a part of her rehabilitation for her right ankle. Within the month, her ankle felt fine again and she was able to become a part of the cheerleading team again. She still has that harmonica in her room, in fact, she owns a total of four harmonicas, all in the drawer of her nightstand. The harmonica, it seems to her, was an escape from the pain of having to deal with Veruca's insults on a daily basis. Kim would also play the blues on her harmonica if the following happened: Veruca's taunts being the most common reason, when a crush breaks up with her, when she is grounded by her strict father, or, in the worst case scenario, when the Mad Dogs lose in any competitive event by a blowout. In Kim's mind, nothing was far more traumatic for her than to see any Mad Dog athletic team lose by a huge margin. Seeing the looks of defeat and failure in 90 pairs of eyes usually makes her eyes well up with tears and take out her harmonica and play the sorrowful blues for almost the entire road trip home. She played the new harmonica in front of her friends. Bonnie was so happy with her long-time friend playing that instrument that it brought tears through her eyes.

Now when Kim played her harmonica, John was in the next room, packing up the 360 to spend the night at Felix's house before the pep rally tomorrow. When the sound of her harmonica reached John's ears, he covered them because it was very painful. For if anyone knew John for a long time, they know that his ears are very sensitive to harmonica playing. The sound hurt his ears very much. Still covering his ears, he carried the case with the 360 and the two games that he brought in with him to Felix's place. As Felix drove his car up on the Renton driveway, John was still shocked to see his new-found friend, Kim, playing the harmonica in front of his ears. John proceeded to unroll the sleeping bag that he brought with him on the trip. It was midnight now, John set his alarm to the usual 5:30am timeslot and Felix set his alarm to 6:30am. Both statisticans immediately fell asleep, knowing that tomorrow would be a very long day.

At the Possibles' house, the cookout was over. Everyone has left and gone back to sleep. After the Tweebs went to bed in their bunks, Mr. and Mrs. Possible went to their master bedroom packed up their briefcase because they have already booked a hotel room in Batesville. Suddenly, the melodious music of a harmonica reverberated throughout the hallway. It came from Kim's room. She was sitting there in her pajamas, playing her new harmonica in the midst of the moonlight shining through her window. It was now midnight as Kim finished her blues melody. She put her harmonica in her nightstand drawer and closed the drawer as she laid down for her 7 hour sleep. As Mr. Possible closed the door to her room, she closed her pair of emerald eyes so that she would be ready for the big pep rally tomorrow where a packed Middleton Gym was going to be expected.


	12. The Pep Rally

**Just so to let you know, I used the cheerleading uniforms that I saw on "Number One" (the gold cheerleading uniforms). They will be designated as the away Middleton Cheerleading uniforms. The purple uniforms will be for the home games.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a Ford Expedition, they are a registered trademark of Ford.**

**I also do not own Libby Chessler. She is the property of Sabina the Teenage Witch which is owned by ABC or Brittany Taylor which is created by Daria, owned by MTV**

Setting: Possible household

Time: 6:00 am

Date: Friday

It was Friday morning.

The birds are out in the air, chirping along in their nests.

The sun was rising up in the east

It meant only one thing to Middleton Mad Dogs fans everywhere.

IT'S GAME TIME!!

All of the talk and all of the hype was to be settled, once and for all, in a seven-game series against South Panola. The first game was going to be played tonight in Batesville and Game 2 will be played on Monday night in Batesville. Game 3 will be played on Wednesday night and Game 4 will be played Friday night in Middleton Field. If possible, Game 5 will be played next Monday night in Hattiesburg; Game 6 will be played in Batesville on Wednesday and Game 7 will also be played in Batesville on next Friday. The South Panola school district declared that the Monday after the holidays will be a no-school day, if a Game 5 occurred. The Hattiesburg school district declared that the Wednesday-Friday declared them as no-school days as well, if a situation like this would occur. Other than that, most sports analysts predicted that South Panola will sweep Middleton after the thanksgiving holidays were over.

The Possible household woke up bright and early at 6. All of the Possible family members enjoyed the last family breakfast for the next four days. Mr. Possible, drinking his coffee and reading the paper, said that he has taken the next few days off from work to attend the ballgames. Mrs. Possible packed the suitcases in the trunk of the family SUV, a 2006 Ford Expedition. Kim came out in her gold cheerleading uniform with purple trim and red points on the bottom half, which was the standard Middleton Cheerleading uniform in away games. She was carrying her suitcase of clothes for the next four days and her toiletries. She was also carrying her knapsack of novels that she's going to read while on the road and her lucky harmonica along with her. In other words, she was more than ready for the game. The Tweebs put on their football uniforms, 81 for Jim and 87 for Tim, and their long cargo pants and as Mr. and Mrs. Possible prepared to take all three of their children to the pep rally in the gym.

Ron woke up at 6:30 and two senses came over him excitement and, yet, worried. He was excited that he had carried his team this far, but the sense of dread came over him that he was going to lead his team against the most powerful football program in the nation about 14 hours from now. He put on the familiar number 7 jersey that he always wore along with his cargo pants. Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable kissed their 16-year old son and waved him goodbye as the Possibles picked up Ron in the Expedition.

The alarm sounded at 5:30 on his cell phone. John woke up and got dressed for the big game. He was dressed in his warmups and the gold polo shirt embroided with the Mad Dog logo given to him from Coach Barkin yesterday evening after the meeting. Felix woke up an hour later and prepared himself as well for the game. He got out of the house with his power wheelchair and waved a tearful goodbye to Mr and Mrs. Renton. John got in the car with him. The two statisticians then went over to the Rockwallers' residence. Bonnie, dressed in the gold cheerleading uniform, got her clothes, carried her suitcase, and packed it in Felix's trunk. The three reached the gym at 7:20.

Meanwhile, in the gym, Veruca was worried not about the big pep rally but about her senior year in its entireity. It has been one disaster after another for the cheerleading captain. First and foremost, her lavish spending habits have put the Salt family deeper and deeper in debt. Second, more and more people have been ignoring her entirely. This was not fair to her, it was a threat to the so-called "Middleton Food Chain". Third, more and more Mad Dog cheerleaders were siding with Kim to be the new cheerleading captain rather than Camille or London when Veruca leaves her position at the end of the year. And, to top it all off, her off-the-mat royal tantrums were becoming more frequent. She felt like that her "respect" was going down the drain. Her circle of friends within Middleton High was becoming smaller and smaller. No one wants to even listen to the heiress' latest exploits from Veruca's mouth. She tried to switch the exploits from the heiress to the troubles of other washed-up celebrities, but it was to no avail. No one wants to pay attention to her at all, even though she was a senior cheerleading captain. Her grades were also becoming a problem as well. Instead of getting low-Bs and high-Cs, D's were now become more and more prevalent on her progress reports. The worst thing about all of this is that she still remains completely oblivious to her wrongdoings of the past and of her lavish expenses. Now, its consequences were starting to affect those around her. She starts to develop a paranoia that everyone is against her. Veruca wanted to take out this resentment on someone and she found the perfect target to take out all that anger: Kim. But now was not the time to release that resentment dug deep in her past. She wants to wait until after the series to strike against her. Little did she know that the train wreck of her was coming soon. She did not know when or where it was going to happen.

The Middleton Gym was jammed packed with 1500 students, faculty, and the Middleton High Marching Band. Everyone was awaiting to see their Middleton Mad Dogs take to the stands before they leave to go to Batesville to take on the Tigers.

Meanwhile, one floor down below, the 90 Mad Dogs were awaiting to break through the Mad Dog Banner. Out in front of the banner was the Middleton Mad Dog (played by Libby Chessler), Liz with the large Middleton HS flag, and Brittany Taylor carrying the smaller Mad Dog logo flag. As the gym lights dimmed, the band started playing. Right on cue, the Mad Dog football team busted the banner and sprinted out into the middle of the gym. They were all wearing their away white jerseys with purple numbers. The cheerleaders cheered on their team in their gold cheerleading uniforms as the huge flag carried by Liz and the smaller logo flag was carried by Brittany. The fight song from the Middleton High Marching Band played in the background as the players proceeded to take their respective seats. John sat near the aisle while Felix moved his power wheelchair next to the gate. The lights then dimmed back on.

Radio announcer Ben Oswalt announced the player of the week in the South state final against Lowerton: is for the second time in two weeks, our star running back, number 7, Ronald Stoppable.

Everyone in the gym, especially Kim, cheered. Veruca merely looked on. Ron, with a little tear in his eye, announced to the crowd "I want to thank my mom and my dad who is out there in the crowd. Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad" Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable saw their son and waved back at him. Ron then continued, "Tonight, we are going to Batesville and we are going to show the Tigers who is Number One IN THIS STATE!!" The crowd cheered its star running back and chanted: Mad Dogs! Mad Dogs! Mad Dogs! Mad Dogs! Ron concluded "We will win this game, I will guarantee you that." He finished his speech and went back to his seat. The pep rally then resumed to Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and the other 19 Mad Dog cheerleaders to pump up the crowd like any other Mad Dog pep rally with a variety of dances and cheers. Kim and Bonnie did very well in pumping up the crowd.

_M-A-D-D-O-G_

_M-A-D-D-O-G_

_What does that spell?  
Victory_

_Go Mad Dogs, Go Mad Dogs_

_Beat the Tigers_

_M-A-D-D-O-G_

_M-A-D-D-O-G_

_What does that spell?  
Victory_

_Go Mad Dogs, Go Mad Dogs_

_Beat the Tigers_

John took in all of the scenery: the band, the football players, and the cheerleaders. It was like a huge step back in time, two a half years ago. He remembered being a part of the Arrows to almost a huge extent. He remembered those times back then. However, this is two and a half years later. And he was working with a different team.

The Mad Dog Cheerleaders continued their usual dance routine

_Here we go, Mad Dogs, here we go (clap hands)_

_Here we go, Mad Dogs, here we go (clap hands)_

_Here we go, Mad Dogs, here we go (clap hands)_

_We're first-rate_

_We're number one in the state_

_Lets go Mad Dogs, lets go_

_Hit em' high, hit 'em low_

_That's how far we will go_

_Go Mad Dogs_

After 30 minutes, it was almost the end of the pep rally. The Middleton Marching Band played the song "Superstar" at the very end of the celebration. All 90 of the Middleton football players did a series of high fives, huddled together and chanted together: WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS) WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS) WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS), 1...2....3..... MAD DOGS!!!!! The pep rally ended at 8:15. All of the Middleton students left the gym to have class. John, meanwhilem stood outside the gym, waiting for the charter buses and cheerleading vans to arrive to take them to Batesville.


	13. Final Preparations

It was now 10:00. Three charter buses arrived in the back of the gym. They would hold around 30 players and three coaches each. The football players gathered in the home locker room that is underneath the gym floor. Coach Barkin ordered his team to gather up their away white jerseys and pads and put them in the storage area underneath each bus. They did so.

As Ron was putting his away number 7 jersey and pads in the first bus, he caught sight of Kim, still in her cheerleading uniform, who was on the other side of the parking lot. She, along with Bonnie, Sharpay, and Tara, was rolling up the Mad Dog banners that they worked so hard last night in one of the cheerleading vans.

Ron came up to Kim and said, "Hey, KP, remember the harmonica I gave to you last night?" Kim answered "Yeah?" "Well, earlier that afternoon after practice, I bought myself a harmonica as well. Even though we're going to be apart from each other, KP, the harmonicas will be a constant reminder of the deep and strong bond of friendship that we have with each other."

"Oh, Ron, thank you" was all Kim could say as she embraced her long-time sidekick with a hug. Ron, in return, hugged his favorite red-haired cheerleader with little tears falling down both each other's eyes, knowing that the two have been through all of the hardships and all of the endless missions of stopping Drakken's evil plans

The two teens then took out both of their harmonicas, sat on the curb, and played the blues for each other.

Veruca and her two cronies witnessed this strong gesture of friendship between Kim and Ron. She yelled and barked at Kim "Possible, are going to roll up the rest of these banners and put them in the back of the vans, or do I have to leave your ass behind with our star running back? Now roll up the rest of these banners. We have to leave in 20 minutes."

The playing of both harmonicas ceased as Kim reluctantly answered "Yes, captain."

Kim quickly put her harmonica in her knapsack, as did Ron. Ron said to Kim, "Well, I'd better be going, I don't want to see Barkin yell at me and give 10 laps on the track." Kim replied "Ok, I'm going to put the rest of the banners in the back. I'll see you in Batesville, Ron." She hugged him one last time as Ron headed for the front charter bus. Kim walked up from the curb and resumed rolling up the Mad Dog banners into the vans. This was going to be a long series, thought Kim as she made the final preparations for departure.

John and Felix, meanwhile, packed up both of their laptops in Coach Barkin's office. John also took along some of his personal stats that he usually carries everywhere he goes. Felix used his power wheelchair to get to the rear cheerleader van that was specially designed for him. It was the handicap cheerleader van. Felix's chair was hooked onto the restraints in the van. As the restraints were finished, a rush of excitement and fear came through his head. John sat in the middle bus. He found Kim, staring out the window. She was wearing a "MIDDLETON MAD DOGS: SOUTH STATE CHAMPIONS" T-shirt over her cheer uniform top. Bonnie was sitting right behind John. Most of the cheerleaders were either wearing T-shirts over their cheering tops or wearing the uniform itself.

As the hydraulic hiss of the buses started to hit Ron's ears, he knew that there was no turning back.


	14. Bus Rides

**Disclaimer: I don't own iPod, it is owned by Apple**

**I don't own Talladega Nights; it is owned by Columbia Pictures**

**I don't own Wendy's, Golden Corrall or McDonalds; Wendy's is the restaurant that my parents met in. All copyrights are respected**

**Like I said, I aint here to endorse products.**

**These characters are protected by their owners:  
Sandi Griffin is a part of Daria and owned by MTV  
Lisa Silver is a part of American Dad and owned by 20th Cen. Fox**

**Lilly Truscott is a part of Hannah Montana and owned by Disney**

**Maddie Fitzpatick is a part of the Suite Life and is also owned by Disney**

As the bus closed its doors, Ron cheered out "Boo-yah" from his seat. The three charter buses filed out of Middleton High School for the long 240-mile trip to South Panola. The forecast for the game in Batesville was partly cloudy skies with a temperature of 55 at kickoff time. Coach Barkin took a nap in the front seat of the first bus, which transported players who wore jerseys 1-30, He was resting to save his strength for coaching his team against the Tigers. Ron was sitting in a seat facing the overhead TV, facing the window.

Stan was right across the aisle from Ron. Ron called Stan, "Hey Stan, got any plays that would help us beat the Tigers?"

Stan replied, "Yeah, we went over them in practice yesterday, but we haven't used those trick plays at all this week."

Ron folded his arms across the window "I sure do hope those plays work. We don't want to get our butts handed to us by them."

A tired look came over Stan's face "I hope you're right, Ron." He yawned and went to sleep.

Ron, missing the familiar face of Kim, pulled out his harmonica from the knapsack and slid a soft bluesy tone from his mouth. In the back of the bus, backup fullback Troy Bolton was asleep with his Ipod turned up to block out Ron's harmonica playing. Some of the other football players on the first bus were watching "Talladega Nights". After three minutes of playing the harmonica, Ron put the instrument up in his knapsack. All he could do was to look at the scenery of Highway 49. He rested his head on the bus seat, closed his brown eyes, pulled the blanket over himself and went to sleep. The second bus, which had players who wore the jersey numbers 31-62, was scared. This bus contained some of the Mad Dog linebackers, which have proven to be clutch players in tight situations, such as making a fourth-down stand against the Lemurs. Now, they were facing against a running game that seemed to be virtually unstoppable. The linebacker starting corps, which consisted of TJ Detwiler, Jimmie Hopkins, and the heart-and-soul of the defense Eugene Thompson, have been watching the film non-stop. Hopefully, the skills that Coach Barkin taught them in practice would pull off an unbelieveable upset. The third bus, who had players with the jersey numbers 63-99, mostly contained the offensive line and defensive line. Once the three buses reached Magee, almost all of the Mad Dog football team fell in a deep sleep until they reached their halfway point: Jackson, Mississippi.

The four cheerleading vans then left the high school next. Veruca, Sandi Griffin, London, Tara, Jessica Tannen, Lisa Silver, Carm, and Lilly Truscott were in the first van with Mrs. Johnson driving. Kim, Bonnie, Sharpay, John, Kate Saunders, Hope Matthews, and Crystal Appleton were in the second van with Mrs. Mary Jackson, the assistant cheerleading coach, driving. Camille, Liz Barker, Libby, Caitlin and Maddie Fitzpatrick were in the the third van with Mrs. Anna Newman, the other assistant cheerleading coach, driving. Marcella , Bailey Pickett, Bebe, Felix, and Brittany occupied the fourth and final van with Mr. Adam Malone, the sports information director for Middleton High, driving.

In the first bus, poor Tara was forced to watch episode after episode of "My Bratty and Spoiled 16th Birthday" on the van's entertainment system. Veruca brought four DVDs of that show in order to not only keep herself happy on the trip but also to steal some of Kim's friends away from her. She hoped that the mere sight of 16-year old girls screaming and cursing at their parents would break Tara's strong will and submit to her. What she didn't take into effect was Tara's strong religious convictions. Tara knew that God was far more important than a spoiled brat screaming the f-word endlessly in front of her parents about not wanting a designer handbag that cost $2,000. Veruca was stunned at these turn of events. Despite her blond-haired appearance, Tara still remained a strong-willed woman who stood up to the snotty cheerleading captain. Veruca's popularity was continuing to slip away through her fingers.

Meanwhile, in the second bus, Kim was still missing Ron. She missed the hugs given by him, she missed the harmonica duo that they had with each other. Sensing this, she got her knapsack and, looking out from Highway 49 amid the endless piney woods, she took out her harmonica and played a bluesy tune dedicated to Ron. Now, John was sitting by her when Kim played the instrument that he dreaded the most. Luckily, he came prepared as he armed himself with earplugs. He did not want that instrument to hurt his ears like it did to him last night and he did not want to disturb his studying of football statistics. She stopped playing the harmonica when the vans reached Collins and put it back in the knapsack. Kim rested her auburn hair against the window and went to sleep. Sharpay and Crystal shared a blanket together, Kate was snoring quite loudly and Hope put her pillow on the windowsill and took a nap as well. The only cheerleader that was wide awake was Bonnie and she whispered to John in the backseat so that she would not disturb the other sleeping cheerleaders.

John took off his earplugs and whispered to Bonnie "Why does Kim have a harmonica? My ears are very sensitive to that instrument."

"So I see," Bonnie replied quietly "but you gotta allow her to play. It's the only way she can cope with the constant taunts from our cheerleading captain, Veruca Salt."

She then told John about what had happened three years ago and how her lucky harmonica helped Kim get back on her feet. "Oh my, that's that's horrible. I'm glad that you saved her life." John was shocked about the injury that Kim had to go through and how it cost her the captain position. He was even more disgusted at Veruca's insults, "I hope someone gets a bar of soap and shoves it down her mouth."

Bonnie told John the shocking reason of Veruca's misbehavior "The worst thing about all of this is that Veruca's behavior is related to ---" and she mentioned the heiress' name. Now, John quietly stated this "I do not like the heiress in any shape, form, or fashion. I cannot even look at a picture of her."

Bonnie agreed with him "Yeah she is a very bad influence on girls. I witnessed firsthand how this can destroy young girls, especially Veruca. She also has a recurring feud against Kim. So that's why the harmonica is so important to my best friend. It has gotten her through the hard times like break-ups with boyfriends and Veruca's taunts." The conversation opened John's eyes and suddenly, his fear of harmonicas lessened. Bonnie also warned John not to even make eye contact with Veruca. John agreed as the van continued its direction north on Highway 49.

On the fourth bus, Felix, with his power wheelchair still restrained, played games on his laptop. Since the battery on his laptop lasted 3 hours longer than on John's laptop, he kept himself preoccupied.

Bebe interrupted his concentration, "So what do you think the forecast would be in Batesville?"

Felix took out the broadband stick from his pocket and plugged it into his laptop. "Well, according to the weather reports, the weather's going to be partly cloudy with a temperature of 55 degrees."

Bebe was excited over this news, "Yes, we don't have to wear those stupid cheer pants for tonight's game."

The Mad Dog cheerleading buses arrived in the Magee city limits on their first of two stops.

John woke Kim up from her deep sleep "Hey, Kim, wanna get lunch over here?"

She replied groggily "Ok, John, but I'm gonna go to bed after this. Where did you want to eat anyways?"

John suggest the first thing that came to his head, "Wendy's."

Kim groaned "Awwww, there's no Bueno Nacho over in Magee?"

John responded "Nope, there is no Buencho Nacho in Magee. Look, a couple of the buses have pulled in to McDonalds'."

He points out the first and fourth vans in the parking lot. The second and third vans entered the Wendy's parking lot. As the cheerleaders walked in to the restaturant, Kim decided to order a simple cheeseburger while John ordered from the value menu. After the girls enjoyed their lunch, they prepared to depart from Magee. The girls sat back down in their usual places in the vans.

Bonnie said to John, "How far is it here from Magee to Batesville?" John quickly replied "Three hours." Bonnie laughed "Luckily I brought along my favorite pillow." As the vans left Magee, the cheerleaders went back to sleep.

For the football players, Ron and the rest of the Mad Dog football team made their only stop in Jackson where they are at a Golden Corrall on Lakeland Dr. Ron was a little disappointed that this place didn't have nachos. After the football players enjoyed their lunch, Coach Barkin ordered his team back to the buses. The three charter buses departed from Jackson at 1:00. Ron gave a weak "Boo-yah" and fell back to sleep for the last two hours of the drive. He then noticed a tap on his shoulder. It was from Stan. "Uhh, hey Ron wake up. I think we're here."

The very first thing that Ron saw was a billboard of a tiger that seemed to be growling at him. Below the image of the tiger was the list of championships that the football team won. This was when Ron realized that he was in Batesville, Mississippi, home of the South Panola Tigers. The charter buses took the exit to Highway 6 and traveled until they got to Highway 51. The buses turned right.

On the cheerleader buses, the road transformed from Highway 49 to Interstate 55. It didn't matter because everyone, except for the drivers of course, was fast asleep. They have been on the road for the last two hours now. They momentarily stopped in Canton to get refreshments before heading out for the last 120 miles to Batesville. An hour and a half later, John, who was still asleep, felt a touch on his shoulder. It came from Bonnie, telling him to wake up.

The first thing that he saw when John rubbed his eyes was the famous Tiger sign of past football championships that they won. They were in Batesville at last. "Yo, Kim, Kim? Wake up." Kim groaned, rubbing her eyes. "What is it?" John said excitedly "We're in Batesville even as we speak." It didn't take long for him to point out the exit, 243B, that the vans would take to get to South Panola High. It was now quarter to 3. As the vans approached South Panola, the Mad Dog cheerleaders did a loud cheer like they usually do to wake everyone up "Gooooo, Mad Dogs". Some of the cheerleaders, including Kim, caught sight of the three charter buses parked next to the huge fieldhouse to the right side, along with their first glimpses of their opponents' field. The four vans parked in the gravel and dirt parking lot of the visitor's side. The Middleton Mad Dogs were in South Panola.


	15. First Impressions

**I don't own the Simpson family, they are property of 20th Century Fox. **

**I don't own Soulja Boy or his songs. Universal owns those. **

Kim got off the cheerleading bus first. She can feel the dirty gravel underneath her cheerleading shoes. She headed towards the gates of Dunlap Stadium. The stadium had the seating capacity of 11,000, about the same size as Middleton's field. She also saw a brand-new pressbox on the home side of the field. It was built earlier in the football season. There was also a new artificial turf on the field. Other than those changes, Kim practically observed that South Panola's field was just like any other football field she's ever seen when her team goes on the road. To her right there was also a huge fieldhouse. The Mad Dogs, she guessed, would be at the right side of the fieldhouse. She then went into the vistor's bleachers and sat there, still worried about Ron. Then, from her knapsack, her cell phone rang. It was her dad.

_K: Hi Dad._

_J: Hi Kimmie-cub, where are you?_

_K: I'm at the football field, sitting on the visitor's bleachers. Where are you right now?_

_J: We're approaching Canton right now. When we reach Batesville can you give us directions?_

K: Sure, can I talk with Mom?

J: Sure, here's your mother.

_A: Hey, Kimberly._

_K: Hey, Mom. Hows everything?_

A: It's going ok. Hopefully the weather's going to be clear prior to kickoff time.

_K: According to my PDA, the weather should be clear when kickoff approaches._

_A: Ok. Well, have you slept well on the trip?_

K: Sure have. 

_A: Is John doing fine over there?_

K: Yep, he's doing OK. He's getting Felix's heavy crutches. It doesn't look like that the visiting press box is wheelchair-friendly.

_A: I see. So, we hope to see you in an hour and half._

K: Ok Mom, talk to ya later. Bye.

She then put her cell phone and gave a deep sigh.

Bonnie came up to her side. "Hey K, kickoff's not going to be for another 4 hours. Why don't we set up the banners along the bleachers." "All right, B. I'll be down there soon." Bonnie left Kim alone with her thoughts. This is going to be the biggest moment of my life, she thought to herself, What if I mess up and fail in front of my family and what if Veruca laughs at me? I'll never forgive myself. A little tear came down from her left eye. Kim quickly wiped it away with the sleeve of her uniform.

As she prepared to stand up from the bleachers to set up the banners, Veruca came up to her. Veruca sternly demanded "Possible, start unloading those banners from the vans. I want tonight to go flawlessly and I do not want any screwups from you, is that understood."

Kim angrily replied "Yes, captian" and proceeded to the vans where the other Mad Dog cheerleaders were unrolling the banners on the gravel parking lot. She cannot stand Veruca's barking commands anymore.

At the rear van, Mr. Malone was unhooking the restraints to Felix's wheelchair. John told Felix about how the visitor's press box was not wheelchair-accessible.

Felix told John "Don't worry, I have a system just in case if this occurs. I also happen to carry heavy crutches. Here's the thing, you and Mr. Malone will help support me while I make my way to the press box. After that stuff is accomplished, Mr. Malone will keep a watch on my power chair so that it doesn't get stolen."

Felix knew that Mr. Malone was a former bodyguard and wrestler who loved numbers, and people not on friendly terms with him should stay of his way. Felix grabbed his heavy crutches and unlocked himself from his wheelchair. He kept on dragging his feet behind him because he hasn't used his legs in quite a while. Mr. Malone and John helped carry Felix up the narrow steps of the visitors bleachers and guided him to the two-level pressbox. They opened the door. Felix then used his crutches to get to the nearest rolling chair that he saw. He sat down on the chair and put his crutches next to the door. He then asked John to bring the case with his laptop in it. John did so and returned a few minutes later. Felix found the nearest electrical outlet and plugged in his computer. It only had 18% of battery life left. Felix then set up everything to take the numbers down. John left his laptop back at Felix's house but brought along a pad of paper and a pen: his method of doing stats.

It was now 5:15 and everyone in Batesville was now ready to go to the game. The first fans arrived on the home stands. It happened to be the Simpson family. Marge, along with her husband Homer, took their usual places in the bleachers: front row. She was wearing a Tiger football shirt underneath her house-wife green skirt. Marge never misses Bart's games and always points out how she was proud of him. Her daughter, Lisa, also played in the South Panola marching band at saxophone. She was among the best student at South Panola High. Ash Ketchum's mom, Delila, sat next to Mrs. Simpson. Tiger fans continued to trickle in.

Ron, now suited up in his white football uniform with the purple 7 on it, prepared to take the field with his Mad Dog teammates for pre-game warmups. The Mad Dogs walked out of the visitors' locker room and went on to the field. The familiar number 7 jersey caught Kim's eye while she was setting up the banners. She briefly waved to Ron and Ron waved back at her. It was the first time in seven hours that they have seen each other.

The South Panola scoreboard then came to life with the pre-game tunes of Soulja Boy's Crank 'em on full volume. Then another sight caught the Mad Dogs' attention, football players and cheerleaders alike. Out of the home side of the fieldhouse came seventy-nine players clad in blue football uniforms, blue pants, and white numbers with tiger slash imprints on the numbers. They all had determined and confident looks on their faces. At the mere sight of these players, the growing legion of Tiger fans that filled the home side greeted them with loud cheers, applause, shouts of "Go Tigers" and a few airhorn sounds. They were followed by Coach Ricky Woods and the assistant coaches that he has worked with for the last few years along with the team managers, including Von Sanford. Kim's jaw dropped at the mere appearance of the opponent that the Mad Dogs were facing. South Panola wants to not only defeat Middleton but also to humiliate them by every single meaning of the definition.

"This is the team that we have to face?" Kim exclaimed as her heart sank about as low as the Mad Dogs' chances of beating, or even surviving four games with the Tigers.

John, sitting by the railings of the bleachers, told Kim "You are now facing against the University of South Panola. They got that nickname because their sheer dominance in football is comparable to that of a university. So, the Mad Dogs do have their work cut out for them." Kim looked more concerned now for Ron than ever. Since he was the star tailback on the team, her guess is that the Tigers' top priority was to make sure that he doesn't break free and, judging by the looks of the defense, they were more than equipped to make Ron's night a living hell. Perhaps it was a good time to take her harmonica out and play it, but now was not a good time to do so.

John went up to the football field. He was the statistician allowed to do so because his top priority in this area was to denote the starters for both teams. First, he went up to Coach Ricky Woods.

"Hey Coach Woods, hows it going?" John exclaimed, knowing that they have seen each other a few times from his high school days in Clinton.

"Its going well" Coach Woods responded "so you want the starters to both the offense and the defense."

"Yes" John said "It would be helpful." He took out South Panola's roster and Coach Woods marked both his offensive and defensive starters. John then went across the field to where the Mad Dogs were doing pre-game warmups.

He went to Coach Barkin. "Hey Coach Barkin, I have the roster to your team, can ya mark both the offensive and defensive starters?" he asked.

"Sure Harper, besides why did you meet up with South Panola's coach?" Barkin wondered.

"Well Coach, I knew him when I was in high school", John answered. Barkin finished up marking his offensive and defensive starters.

He went right back to the visitor's press box where Felix was waiting. John pointed to the rosters, "Hey Felix, I got the starters. I'm gonna put them next to where South Panola's PA usually sits." "Ok" was all Felix can reply. John went to the new home pressbox and laid out the marked rosters so that the PA can announce the starters for tonight's game.

As the Mad Dog fans started to file in, Kim's cell phone rang once again. She was sitting in the bleachers, taking a break from the hard work that she went through. The Possible spouses wanted to know how their daughter was doing

_J: Hi, Kimmie-cub_

_K: Hi, Dad. What's going on?_

J: Well, we're now approaching Batesville. What exit do we take?

K: Well, Dad, you take exit 243-B, you know the sign that says Highway 6 west to Batesville?

J: Yeah, I see it, Kimmie-cub. We are approaching the exit right now and (after 15 seconds) we're on highway 6. What's next?

K: All right, Dad, keep on driving on Highway 6 until you see the intersection approaching Highway 51.

_J: Well, I see signs about the intersection with 51. Do I take a left or a right?_

K: You take a right dad, and then you travel down about 6/10 of a mile on 51. South Panola's stadium is on the right.

_J: Thanks Kimmie-cub, you're a lifesaver._

_K: You're welcome, Dad._

_J: Wait, there is still one other thing. Is Veruca there with you?_

K: Duh, of course

_J: Make sure that you do not follow her lead._

_K: But she's the cheerleading captain. I could lose my cheerleading spot if i do that._

_J: What's more important, listening to the advice of a cheerleading captain or listening the advice to your parents._

_K: Hmmm, the second one._

_J: Good, now go ahead and do what's right in your heart and you will fail at nothing. Even if she threatens to cut you off from cheerleading, you are still my number 1 fan, Kimmie-cub._

_K: Thanks, Dad. I'll never forget you. I'll see ya at the game. Bye._

_J: Bye, Kimmie-cub._

The Middleton Marching band arrived at 5:50 with 4 charter buses parked in the gravel parking lot. They practiced their final rehearsal for the game.

Mr. and Mrs. Possible arrived at the stadium five minutes later and waved to Kim and Kim did the same. Mrs. Rockwaller also came along with the Possibles to cheer on her Bon-Bon, although Bonnie still hates being called that sometimes.

It was now 6:30. The stadium lights have now been turned on. The hamburgers and hot dogs were cooking on the grills. The concession stands came to life. The crowds are continuing to file in on both sides. The Middleton banners were already mounted to the railings. The 22 pairs of golden pom-poms were unpacked and ready to go. Libby was in her Middleton Mad Dog costume, ready to pump up the crowd at any time.

Everything was set. It was almost game time.


	16. Pre Game Festivities

It was now 30 minutes to kickoff. The South Panola PA welcomed the ever-growing crowd.

"Welcome to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Football Championship Series. This is Game 1 of the series. It will feature your homestanding South Panola Tigers against the visiting Middleton Mad Dogs. Both teams are part of the MHSAA and are subjected to good sportsmanship from both Tiger fans and Mad Dog Fans. If you do not abide by the rules, your school will be placed on probation. There is no alcoholic beverages and there is no smoking either. Both teams will play by the National Federation of Rules. Congradulations to both the Mad Dogs and the Tigers for all of your hard work and success on and off the field.

We also have the starting lineups for tonight's game. For the Mad Dogs on defense: at defensive tackle is the 6 foot 1, 297 pound junior, number 97 Ralph Wiggum; at defensive tackle is the 6 foot 3, 322 pounds senior, number 75 Mikey Blumberg; at right end is the 6 foot, 245 pound senior number 67 Greg Goldberg; at left end is the 6 foot 1, 224 pound junior, number 51 Doug Funnie; at right linebacker is the 6 foor 2, 236 pound junior, number 39 Jimmy Hopkins; at middle linebacker is the 6 foot 3, 235 pound senior, number 48 TJ Detwiler; at right linebacker is the 6 foot 3, 241 pound senior, number 37 Eugene Thompson; at left cornerback is the 6 foot 197 pound senior, number 3 Lee Jordan; at right cornerback is the 6 foot 2, 195 pound senior, number 5 Vince Lasalle; at free safety is the 5 foot 10, 185 pound junior number 7 Ron Stoppable; and at strong safety is the 5 foor 9, 215 pound junior, number 8 Token Black.

For the Mad Dogs on Offense: at left tackle is the 6 foot 1, 298 pound senior, number 79 Skeeter Valentine; at left guard is the 6 foot 3, 312 pound senior number 64 Ben Ulrand; at center is the 6 foot 4, 279 pound senior, number 60 Devon Goldham, at right tackle is the 6 foot 4, 329 pound senior, number 70 Harold Berman; at right guard is the 6 foot 2, 304 pound junior number 61 Ray Hughes; at left wideout is the 6 foot 1, 189 pound junior, number 1 Carver Descartes; at right wideout is the 6 foot 1, 195 pound senior, number 11 Stacey Logan; at tight end is the 6 foot 2, 247 pound senior, number 30 Oliver Wood; at fullback is the 5 foot 10, 224 pound senior, number 20 Brian Williams; at tailback is the 5 foot 10, 185 pound junior, number 7 Ron Stoppable; and at quarterback is the 5 foot 9, 184 pound junior, number 4 Stan Marsh.

For your South Panola Tigers on defense: at defensive tackle is the senior, number 76 Grover Dill; at defensive tackle is the junior, number 63 Roger Klotz; at left end is the junior, number 43 Russell Northrop; at right end is the senior number 1 Jarred Wilkes; at the right linebacker position is the senior, number 12 Marvin Young; at the left linebacker position is the junior, number 4 Evan Nordan; at the inner linebacker position is the junior, number 8 Damon West; and at the right inner linebacker position is the junior, number 28 Bart Simpson; at the strong safety position is the junior, number 16 Deangelo Young; at free safety is the senior, number 13 Jermaine Carr, and at cornerback is the junior, number 11 TJ Avery

For your South Panola Tigers on offense: at left tackle is the junior number 79 Burris Ewell; at left guard is the senior number 70 Augustus Gloop; at center is the senior number 60 Dudley Dursley; at right guard is the junior, number 65 Walter Cunningham; at right tackle is the sophomore number 51 Charles Harris; at tight end is the senior number 38 Francis Hancock; at wide out is the senior number 7 Karl Branting; at wide out is the senior number 10 Willie Wiggins; at fullback is the junior number 4 Evan Nordan; at tailback is the senior number 14 Darius Griffin; and at quarterback is the junior number 16 Deangelo Young."

As the pregame festivities continued to wind down, the two teams were in their locker rooms for their pre-game speeches.

(In South Panola's locker-room)

"All right, remember what our strategy is" Coach Woods remarked to his players. "STOP STOPPABLE" was all the players can say, knowing that they have studied and dissected the film on number 7. The Tiger players, along with Von Sanford, huddled together in a prayer circle. After a brief prayer, the Tigers went outside to the football field where the partisian Tiger crowd was waiting for them

(In Middleteon's locker-room)

"Players, we have come so far. Now, we are on the verge of doing the unthinkable, beating South Panola on their home turf. We will show the Tigers how we play football -- MAD DOG style. The Middleton football team cheered and then went into a prayer circle, with the exception of Ron and Kyle. After the circle broke, the players did a brief Mad Dog chant and exited the visitors locker room.

The South Panola marching band and cheerleaders made their way into the stadium. So did Middleton's marching band. The fearsome Tiger's head was being set up with fog machines while the Mad Dog cheerleaders brought along the paper Mad Dog, the large white Middleton High School flag with the school logo on it, the smaller flag with the Mad Dog logo on it, and the three flags with "M" "H" "S" on it. Both cheerleading squads awaited their football teams to come and take the field.

Ten minutes before the game started, the pastor for the First Baptist Church of Batesville performed the invocation. After that, everyone, including Kim and Bonnie, stood up for the "Star-Spangled Banner" played by the South Panola Marching Band.

The players for both teams appeared.

Before the Tiger players took to the field, the South Panola PA addressed the Tigers' most important player for the past 15 years "He has been the heart and soul of South Panola for the last 15 years, give it up for Devon "Von" Sanford." As Von took the field, he was met with a thunderous applause from both the Tigers side and on the Mad Dogs side as well. Kim and Bonnie both cheered because they have heard of Von's condition and how he overcame it to become one of the most recognizable figues on South Panola football. After Von's introduction, the PA screamed "And here come your South Panola Tigers" The Tiger players, through the fog machines coming out from the sides, went though the Tigers' mouth as they took the field. The South Panola fight song echoed along the home stands as the Tiger crowd erupted in cheers and the two Tiger flags fluttered into the wind.

The PA said lightly "And here come the Mad Dogs of Middleton High". The Mad Dogs shredded the paper image of their logo as they took the field. The big school flag that was held by Brittany went first, along with the smaller Mad Dog flag held by Tara came next, then the three M-H-S flags carried by Lisa, Jessica and Bebe came in last. The Mad Dog marching band played the fight song. Kim and the other cheerleaders performed a series of cartwheels and handstands as the Mad Dog players trotted onto the visitor's sidelines.

The captains for Middleton, Devon, Oliver, Vince, and Eugene came up to midfield. They met the South Panola captains: Darius, Grover, Marvin Young, and Jermaine Carr. The refree planned to toss the coin The Mad Dogs, since they were the visiting team, called the toss for heads. It did end up as heads as Middleton won the toss. However, Eugene said that the Mad Dogs will defer to the 2nd half, which means South Panola would get it first, therefore to test out the powerful running game that every Tiger fan normally anticipates.

The kickoff teams took to the field as Charlie Bucket prepared to kick it off from the Mad Dog 40, with Karl Branting and Deangelo returning.

The kick left the tee and was away.


	17. Game 1 Quarter 1: Shock and Awe

-SP ball--

Charlie Bucket kicked it off to Deangelo Young, the fastest player on the Tigers' roster, from his own 3. Unfortunately for Deangelo, he was immediately stopped at the 10 by Tracey Sketchit, the backup linebacker.

The opening drive was the Mad Dogs defense's first test against a nationally-ranked rushing attack

. The Tigers lined up in their I-option formation, their usual offensive attack. As Ron took the field on the defense, he saw Kim cheering on the sidelines. I'm going to dedicate this game to her, he thought. The first play of the drive was a simple handoff up the middle to Evan "Tiger Claw" Barksdale, the fullback. Evan got a decent 3 yards before he was stuffed by Doug and Mikey Blumberg.

On second and 7 from the Tiger 13, Coach Woods called in a QB draw right. The ball was snapped and Deangelo kept the ball himself. He picked up the first down and some more before Vince brought him down at the Tiger 26. He picked up 13 yards on the run. Ron realized to himself, So the quarterback likes to run huh, wait until he gets a taste of Unstoppable.

On first down, Deangelo tried the play again but there was deep penetration from the Middleton front four. He found no running room and was brought down for a three-yard loss by TJ Detwiler, the star linebacker. This QB draw would not fool the Middleton defense again.

It was now 2nd and 13 from the Tiger 23. Deangelo gave the handoff to Darius Griffin, the five-star runningback. Darius found an hole in the defensive line. Ron reacted quickly by bringing him down at the Tiger 30. It was his first tackle of the series and a 7-yard pickup by Darius.

On third down and six from the Tiger 30, Deangelo tried to hand it off to Evan but was pushed back to the line of scrimmage by TJ and went no further.

The Mad Dogs' defense had held the Tigers to a three-and-out with 9:44 left in the first quarter. They may be lucky, thought John up in the press box as he took down the stats with Felix, but if I know South Panola they will strike quickly. Ash Ketchum, who serves as the team's backup fullback and the primary punter for the Tigers, punted the ball to the Mad Dog 29, a 41-yard punt. The Tigers downed it from there and Ron's test was about to begin.

--MID ball--

On the sidelines, the Middleton cheer squad cheered wildly when their offense took the field.

The Tigers' defense, which was more than determined to bring Stoppable down, lined up in their usual 4-4 set. Quarterback Stan Marsh lined up behind Brian and Ron. Six seconds showed on the play clock before Stan handed the ball of to Ron up the middle. Ron found a key block from Harold and was able to pick up 4 yards before Marvin Young, the senior linebacker, brought him down.

Coach Barkin from the sidelines called for "7 sweep right". On second and 6 from the Mad Dog 33, Ron took the handoff again from Stan and went to the right. He picked up a good block from Oliver, his tight end and got the first down and a few more yards before being brough down at the Mad Dog 46. It was a 13-yard gain by Ron before he was stopped by Deangelo and the Tiger player who made Ron's experiences in Batesville a living hell, Jermaine Carr.

On first down, Stan still handed the ball off to Ron and picked up a decent gain of 5 yards before Bart Simpson, number 28 on the Tigers' roster, made the stop.

The Mad Dogs were barely in Tiger territory, at the 49. Stopping Number 7 is going to be harder than I though, Jermaine thought, hmmm, we need to force him to make mistakes. Stan tried something different, a fullback handoff to Brian. It didn't net anything as the huge Tiger lineman who weighed around 319 pounds, Grover Dill, brought him down to the line of scrimmage.

With 8:01 left in the quarter, Coach Barkin then decided to call one of his trick plays. "7 Fake Pass, 7 Fake Pass" he called out to Stan. This meant that number 7 was going to throw a half-back pass, to try and catch the Tigers by surprise. On third down, Stan, again, handed the ball off to Ron. Then, Ron extended his arm to try and pass it into the direction of Carver Descartes, the wide receiver. Ron passed the ball 15 yards in the air. It was then tipped by Deangelo and .... fell into the hands of Jermaine Carr, the Tiger cornerback at the Tiger 38. It was an interception. Gotcha, Stoppable Jermaine thought. He weaved through the stunned Middleton offense with ease. "And Jermaine Carr is off to the races," the South Panola PA screamed. Only Ron stood between him and the end-zone. Jermaine stiff-armed Ron to the ground with ease. Ron looked only in dismay as number 13 crossed the end zone for a touchdown, a 62-yard interception return for a score. The Tigers' crowd erupted in thunders of cheers while the Middleton crowd was silenced. "Unstoppable" has made his first mistake of the night, and it cost his team six points. Ted Thompson, the Tigers' kicker, added the extra point with 7:43 left in the first quarter. The score was South Panola 7, Middleton 0. John figured to himself Yep, it's going to be another blowout for the Tigers.

Barkin called Ron in from the sidelines. "That was an unfortunate mistake that you committed out there, Stoppable. But you gotta shake it off. You cannot be making mistakes out there against them. Get out there and show the crowds why you are called 'Unstoppable'" Barkin said with a fiery passion in his eyes "Yes, sir" Ron barked as he was ready to return the kickoff. Ted set the ball on the 40 as the kickoff teams took their positions. Ron and his teammate, Dashiell Parr, was ready to return it. Ted kicked the football as it sailed through the sky. Ron fielded the kickoff from the Mad Dogs 12. A wall of Tiger defense came rushing towards him. Learning from his "mad running skills" that got him on the football team, he swerved by Hector Zeroni and the backup Tiger running back, Blaise Zabini. The Mad Dog crowd came to life again. Kim, with her golden pom-poms, shouted "Ron,Ron,Ron" Ron beat the last Tiger defender, the kicker, Ted. He went through unopposed for the remaining 20 yards of the return. Touchdown, Mad Dogs. The visitors cheered and chanted "Unstoppable, Unstoppable, Unstoppable". Ron Stoppable has just answered his mistake with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 7:31 in the first quarter. Charlie added his PAT to tie the score at 7 apiece. In the visiting press box, John was stunned that these turn of events were unfolding behore his eyes as Felix cheered on for his friend who wore number 7. Coach Woods and the Tiger crowd was stunned. This Mad Dog team is better than I thought, he told himself.

--SP ball--

Charlie and the Middleton kicking unit kicked the ball off to Karl Branting at the Tiger 6. The senior wide receiver took it to the Tiger 25 before Dean Thomas, the Mad Dogs' backup cornerback, made the stop. The Tigers, stunned at that last kickoff return by Number 7, took to the field with the usual personel. The Mad Dogs' defense did the same.

On first down, Darius tried to find room through the middle but picked up only 2 yards before Eugene Thompson, the heart of the Mad Dog defense, made the stop.

Second down wasn't much successful either, Deangelo tried his QB draw to the left but netted only 3 yards before Jimmie Hopkins and Ralph Wiggum comboed in on the tackle.

It was now 3rd down and five, Deangelo tried to run through the Mad Dogs' suddenly determined defense but was stopped short again by Eugene.

Frustrated by the end results of their first two drives, the Tigers had to punt again with Ash downing the punt at the Mad Dog 25, a 32-yard punt. Ron ordered his guys to stay away from the ball and they did so.

--MID ball--

Meanwhile, Kim was excited because Middleton was matching, step-for-step, against the best team in the nation. Her twirls and cheers got better and better as she cheered on her long-time friend. Bonnie sensed that same energetic feeling as well. The whole Middleton crowd, about 2,800 in attendance, could even sense an unlikely upset.

The Mad Dog football team, now feeling the change in momentum, started their next drive on their own 25.

Coach Barkin found out that the Tigers were vulnerable around the edges. He wanted his best back to exploit those holes in any way he saw fit. He called for "7 Sweep left". With five and a half minutes left in the quarter and 5 on the play clock. Stan pitched the ball to Ron and Number 7 went to the left side. He found nice blocks from Ben and Devon and picked up 18 yards before Jermaine, the defender that picked him off for six, brought him down. A Mad Dog first down.

Barkin then called the sweep run by Ron on the right. On the next play, Ron went to the right and picked up 12 yards and the first down before going out of bounds at the Tiger 45 to stop the clock at 4:39.

Then, Ron carried to the left for 21 more yards to the Tiger 24 as Jermaine and Bart combined on the stop for South Panola.

The Mad Dogs were really on the move. Coach Barkin then tried to call in a pass. With 4:12 left, Stan tried to find an open wide receiver. When no Mad Dog receiver was open, he decided to scramble and pick up 4 more yards to the Tiger 20 before Russell Northrop, the defensive end, took him down.

Barkin then called in his shotgun formation. He replaced Brian with Milo Kamalani, number 23, as the third wide receiver. The Tigers sent in their nickel defense with Tristan Gray as the fifth defensive back. In actuality, Barkin called in a draw play with Ron going up the gut. He picked up 2 yards on that play.

On third down from the Tiger 18, the shotgun was still there. This time, Barkin swapped out Milo with Ladario Weathers as the tailback. He put Ron in the slot as a wide receiver. The ball was snapped with 4 left on the play clock. Stan dropped back to pass and found a wide open Ron Stoppable. He throw it in his direction. Ron, which had Jermaine covering him, got the ball, shrugged off Jermaine from his back, and went into the end zone for the second time in the ballgame. Touchdown, Mad Dogs. "Boo-yah" was his response as Ron caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Stan. The Tiger crowd was zipped shut. Ron was tougher than they have ever imagined. Charlie added his PAT and it was now Middleton 14, South Panola 7 with 3:21 left in the quarter.

--SP ball--

Charlie kicked the ball off to Evan at the Tiger 5, Evan made it to the Tiger 21 for a 16-yard return. Oliver Oken and Kenny McCormick made the stop.

Deciding that they were not fooling around anymore, South Panola unleashed the full force of their rushing attack. On first down from the Tiger 21, Deangelo handed it off to Evan up the middle and with the help of a good block from Charles Harris, he picked up 8 yards. Token Black was credited on that stop.

On 2nd and 2, Coach Woods called in a QB sweep, a Tiger QB's most favorite run. With 2:49 left in the first, Deangelo took the handoff and kept it himself. He picked up the first down and, evenually, 15 yards before Vince Lasalle put him down to the artificial turf.

Sensing the Mad Dogs' Achillees heel, Deangelo then called in Darius to carry the ball next. Francis Hancock, the senior tight end, make a key block on Doug and this allowed Darius to break free for another huge gain, 28 yards. Vince, again, made the stop.

In just three plays, the Tigers have moved the ball to the Mad Dog 28. Deangelo then handed the ball off to Evan for a 6-yard gain. Ron and Jimmie Hopkins made the stop together.

Then Coach Woods looked at Evan and he was tired. He sent in Ash to do the power carrying for Evan.

On 2nd and 4 from the 22, Ash got his first carry and made his way to the 20 for a 2-yard pickup before he was stuffed by Ralph.

The clock was now winding down with 58 seconds left in the first period. It was 3rd and 2. Deangelo allowed the clock to wind down to 33 seconds and 2 seconds on the play clock. Barkin sent in Ladarius Jones and Chalkey for this short-yardage situation He did an old-fashioned quarterback sneak up the middle. A pile of Mad Dogs surrounded Deangelo but he was able to pick up the first down. Chalkey and Doug made the stop at the 18 yard-line.

Coach Woods called Ash out of the field and put Evan back in. Evan concluded the first quarter with a 3-yard run up the middle before he was stopped by TJ. The horns buzzed as the seconds ticked down to zero. The first quarter score was Middleton 14, South Panola 7. Both fans have witnessed shock and awe at Dunlap Stadium, and it was going to get even more exciting.


	18. Game 1 Quarter 2: Deficit

The second quarter of Game 1 began on the Mad Dog 15 with a handoff by Darius up the middle. He was only able to get back to the line of scrimmage, but no further. Mikey Blumberg made sure of that.

On third and seven, Deangelo called in a quarterback draw and went to the left side for a gain of 6 yards to the Middleton 9. Eugene stopped him short of the first down.

Ron thought of this fourth-down situation, We gotta hold em here, we just gotta. Coach Woods then swapped Evan for Ash. On a 4th and one conversion from the 9, Ash took the fullback handoff and went to the left side. Ash dived into the end zone with Ron and Lee Jordan on his back. Touchdown, Tigers. Middleton's defense was caught by suprise. Damn, Ron thought, I hate it when we're caught by surprise. 10:41 read on the game clock and the Mad Dogs' lead was cut to 14-13. Ted tried to go for the extra point but it swerved to the right. Kim, from the sidelines, sighed with a breath of relief "No Good". The score still remained Middleton 14, South Panola 13.

--MID ball--

Ted kicked the ball off as hard as he could to the Mad Dog 1; Ron fielded his kick from there but only got the Mad Dog 17 where he was met by the backup linebacker, Chazz Princeton.

Then, Coach Barkin noticed that his star tailback was worn down. He told Ron to get to the sidelines for a couple of plays. Ladario took Ron's place at tailback. On first down, Ladario got the handoff from Stan and cut it up the middle. A popping of pads ensued. He picked up 4 yards before Marvin brought him down at the Mad Dog 21.

"Listen Stoppable" Barkin told him, "See you got over your mistakes and we're in the lead. Once this play ends, you go out there" "Ok Coach," Ron responded to Barkin's commands. He then noticed Kim still on the track cheering on Middleton, I'm doing this for her as well, Ron thought to himself.

On the field, Ladario got another handoff on second down and picked up 5 more yards before Bart and Evan took him down hard. Ladario signaled that he was ready to go back to the sidelines.

It was now 3rd and 1 with 9:24 left in the half. Barkin called another trick play "720 Fake" On this play, Stan faked the handoff to Ron and handed the football to Brian Williams, the fullback. Brian tore through the Tigers' defense and picked up 26 yards in the Evan could prevent that play from developing any further.

Stan then resumed his handoff duties to Ron. Number 7 went up the middle through the heart of the Tigers' defense before Damon West, the All-American linebacker, made the stop. It was 5 more yards for Ron.

Second and five saw Ron run the same play again. Again, he was stopped by Damon but not before that play added up 9 more yards to his rushing totals and another Mad Dog first down.

At that point, the Tigers' defense hardened. On first down at the Tiger 34. Brian tried a fullback handoff up the middle but was pulled down behind the line of scrimmage by Jarred Wilkes for a loss of a yard to the Tiger 35.

On second down, Stan tried to find Carver but his pass fell short.

On third down, Stan again couldn't find Carver. When the pass was in the air through, it was tipped by number 11, TJ Avery and nearly intercepted, but the officials ruled it as an incomplete pass with 7:49 remaining in the half. David Childers was called in to punt for the first time as the punting units came into the field.

David's first punt though was wobbly and only went 21 yards to the Tiger 14.

--SP ball--

Now, this was South Panola's time to regain the lead. Capitalizing on this stop, Coach Woods decided to exploit some more of Middleton's rushing defense.

On the first play, Deangelo called in his own number and, with another key block by Francis, exposed a huge hole in the Mad Dog defense. He was almost off to the races but Token and Vince ended his run at the Tiger 45. It was a 31-yard run by the quarterback.

He then turned to Evan, which took the fullback option up the middle and ripped open another huge gain into Middleton territory. Evan picked up 21 yards before Lee Jordan stopped him at the Middleton 34.

Coach Barkin, sensing that his defense was starting to be worn down, called for the Mad Dogs' first timeout with 7:07 left. He addressed the issues of the recent run gains by the South Panola team "We have to patch up those holes, we cannot allow rushing yards like this." The defense agreed, came up with the strategy, and returned back to the field.

On the first play after the timeout, Evan again got the handoff and picked up a good chunk of 9 yards as TJ made another stop. Second down was more of the power running game. Viktor Krum, the backup Tiger tight end checked into the game, as did Ladarius and Chalkey for Middleton.

Evan got another handoff up the middle. He was swarmed by the Mad Dogs. But, thanks to forward progress and a 2-yard gain, he picked another Tiger first down. The ball was now spotted at the Middleton 23.

Darius, on first down, got another handoff up the middle. Ron and Lee made sure that he didn't move the sticks, although Darius did pick up 6 more yards on the ground.

He tried again on second down at the 17 but moved the ball only 2 yards as Doug met him.

Coach Woods called in his first pass play on 3rd and 2. Deangelo dropped back to pass for the first time in the ballgame. He found Karl Branting and threw it in his direction. Ron tipped the pass to make sure the connection was not completed.

It was 4th and 2 from the Mad Dog 15. He called in Ash. Ash, with his 225-pound frame lunged forward against the Mad Dog defense. With forward progress, he picked up another first down with 4:04 left in the half. Ralph made the tackle for the Mad Dogs.

The Middleton defense, though, came through for the visitors. After picking up the first down at the Middleton 12, Darius went on a burst play and picked up 5 more yards and Eugene made another stop.

Deangelo tried to rush through the defense on second down but Greg Goldberg dropped him for a 5-yard loss.

On third down, Deangelo couldn't find Karl.

They would have to settle for a field goal by Ted. After missing his last extra point, Ted converted on the short 30-yard field goal. The Middleton crowd groaned for a brief bit. South Panola regained the lead, 16-14, with 2:35 left in the half.

--MID ball--

Ted did a pooch kick only to the Mad Dog 16. Ron returned that ensuing kickoff and busted through for a 28-yard return to the Mad Dog 44. Blaise Zabini and Tristian Gray made the stop.

His stats were piling up faster than John and Felix can anticipate. Ron returned to the sidelines for a brief while.

Ladario was now the primary tailback. Stan began the drive with a two-yard fullback run by Brian to the Mad Dog 46. Gordon Dill, the 319-pound defensive tackle, brought him down to the ground.

Barkin then called another one of his trick plays "13 Trap". Stan faked the handoff to Brian and handed it off to Ladario. Ladario broke through a couple of tackles and was off to the races. He was in the end zone. Touchdown, Mad Dogs, the PA cooly announced. Kim, Veruca, Bonnie and the other cheerleaders let out a huge chant. "Let's go Mad Dogs, here we go." "Lets go Mad Dogs, here we go." The Mad Dog fight song played as the white Middleton flag went across the field. Charlie added his third PAT of the night. Middleton has now regained the lead, 21-16 with 1:46 left in the half. Coach Woods threw his hat onto the ground in disgust. Never had his Tigers team allow 21 points in the first half and fallen behind, and NEVER had it happened on their turf. A sense of confidence was now filling up the Middleton section of the bleachers. They can pull off this upset.

--SP ball--

Rather than run the risk of seeing number 7 again on offense for the remainder of the half, Coach Woods wisely went conservative.

After the kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, Evan got in another handoff and picked up 4 yards before, ironically, the recognizable number 7 of Ron Stoppable made the stop.

Darius then went up the middle, again exposing the holes in the run defense, and sliced open an 18-yard pickup for the Tiger first down before Vince and Lee brought him down.

For the final seconds of the half, Deangelo carried the ball himself for a 4-yard gain before TJ brought him down for another stop. The buzzer then signalled the end of the first half. The Mad Dogs, though barely, were leading the number 1 team in the nation 21 to 16 at the halftime mark. The momentum, for the moment, was on Middleton's side. However, this mentality would be threatened in the second half.


	19. Halftime Conflicts

**I don't own the rights to Abbey Road, the White Album, and Sgt. Pepper. They are registered trademarks of Apple Records.**

As the intermission began, the Midddleton Marching Band came out onto the field first. They did their halftime show to the form of the Beatles in their later years, particularly "Sgt. Pepper" "The White Album" and "Abbey Road". In the press box, Felix and John handed the stats to the PA. The South Panola PA announced the stats clearly to a standing crowd of 10,000, very typical for a football night in Batesville. He announced the runners first "For your South Panola Tigers, Deangelo Young had 69 yards on 10 carries; Darius Griffin has 68 yards on eight carries; Evan Nordan has 53 yards on nine carries; and Ash Ketchum has 14 yards on three carries and one touchdown. That totals 204 yards on 30 carries for your Tigers. For the Middleton Mad Dogs, Ron Stoppable had 89 yards on nine carries" As Kim heard those numbers, her heart was filled with joy, not because he has piled 89 yards on the ground in the first half, but because he wasn't injured. The PA continueed "Ladario Weathers had 63 yards on three carries and one touchdown; Brian Williams had 27 yards on three carries; and Stan Marsh had four yards on one carry. That adds up to 183 yards on 16 carries for the Mad Dogs. In terms of passing, for the Mad Dogs, Marsh was one of three for 18 yards and one touchdown to Stoppable. Stoppable also threw an interception that led to a Jermaine Carr 62-yard interception return. For your Tigers, Young was zero of two. The Tigers, in all, have 32 plays for 204 yards in the first half. The Mad Dogs have 20 plays for 201 yards."

"Hey Felix, ya wanna get some food?" John asked.

"Sure man, and can you check to see if they have nachos, because I haven't ate any in the last 8 hours." Felix responded with a nod. John left the pressbox and went to the nearest concession stand he can find. John found some nachos and gave them to Felix.

"So what do ya think about the stats?" John asked his statistician partner. "Well I think we're doing better than we thought. I mean we are ahead 21 to 16 and we are about dead even in yards." Felix replied. "Well, you can never tell" John wondered about how the second half would unfold.

Veruca and Kim have avoided each other for the last few hours. Kim had been cheering non-stop for the past hour. Now, the harder, more advanced cheerleading moves would be initiated in the second half for the Middleton cheer squad because that was what Veruca wanted. She wanted to wear down the other members of her squad so that she could hog all the glory for himself. This tactic initiated by the devious cheerleading captain would have detrimental consequences on the team.

Veruca organized her team together. "All right, now we must do the Middleton pyramid in the middle of the third and fourth quarters. This is where the rest of you unpopular cheerleaders lift me and my co-captains up in the air."

Tara briefly interrupted "Uh, Veruca, I don't think it's a good ..." Veruca cut her off "Silence, Queen. Since when did you object to my decisions? I am the cheerleading captiain and whatever I say, goes. Now do I hear any more objections?"

Silence filled the cheerleaders, but those who opposed her knew it in their hearts to get rid of Veruca and her cronies from the captain positions because they have damaged the good sportsmanship and team spirit of Middleton long enough.

"Good," Veruca sneered, "now get out there on the field or I will demote you"

As the cheerleaders left, Veruca was all alone by herself. _And I have something for you Possible, in order to make sure that you no longer pose a threat to my position as cheer captain _she thought to herself as she looked at her fingernails. Veruca's fingernails seemed normal except for the nails on two fingers on her left hand, in which they were so irregularly cut that it can penetrate the lightest parts of human skin. She gave an evil chuckle to herself and returned to the field with the rest of the cheerleaders.

In the Tigers' locker room, Coach Woods briefly remarked to his players. "I saw a pretty good performance on offense out there. But you need to finish the drives with touchdowns, not with punts. As for the defense, we have to stop bleeding against Number 7. He's been exploiting the outside running lanes. Damon, Evan, I suggest that you move from your normal linebacker poisitions to cover the sides. That way, we can plug up the holes in the defense. We got a tough second half ahead of us, but I know we can pull it off." The Tiger players agreed and returned to the field for the second half.

In the Mad Dog's locker room, Coach Barkin commented on his joyous Mad Dog players. "That was a pretty good offensive performance out there. We need to execute more on defense. We cannot give up 20-30 yard gains to them. It is going to be an uphill struggle. We still have a second half to play against them. We will stick together and WE WILL WIN!!" The Mad Dog players cheered and returned for the second half.

As the bands concluded their halftime shows, John finished with his game "dinner". The second half was about to get underway and it was not going to be pretty at all.


	20. Game 1 Quarter 3: Tigers Strike Back

--MID ball-

The second half began with Ron returning the ensuing kickoff 21 yards to the Middleton 30 where Milhouse Van Houten, another Tiger backup, made the tackle. Ladario remained at tailback because Barkin wanted to rest up Ron for the next time he comes into the field. The first play of the third quarter was about to start when flags flew everywhere, the first time yellow laundry was on the field tonight.

OFFSIDES, DEFENSE, NUMBER 63, 5 YARD PENALTY, STILL 1ST DOWN

It was on Roger Klotz, the defensive tackle who moved early.

Now that it was 1st and five after the penalty at the Middleton 35, Ladario got the handoff but got only 1 yard as Russell made the tackle.

Brian was next to get the fullback handoff on second down and picked up 3 yards to the Middleton 39. Jarred Wilkes and Marvin Young contributed on the stop.

The Mad Dogs did not want to give the ball back to South Panola. They wanted to protect that 21-16 lead.

On third and one, Stan kept the ball himself and picked up 7 yards for the Mad Dog first down. Damon West was accredited with the stop. However, the Tigers' defense stiffened once again.

On first down, Grover hit Ladario for a 3-yard loss.

Coach Barkin wanted to call in a pass next, so he suggested Ron to come in as the third wide receiver. Stan dropped back to pass, but he didn't see Evan on his blind side. He was sacked by Evan for an 8-yard loss.

The Mad Dogs were moving backwards and it was now 3rd and a long 21 yards. A draw play by Ron netting only 4 yards was obviously not enough for the first down. It didn't help either that the tackle was made by his South Panola all-purpose counterpart, Deangelo.

The punting unit came out onto the field as the Mad Dogs had to go three-and-out. David's punt traveled to the Tiger 20, where the Tigers will make their first appearance in the second half.

--SP ball--

On the Tigers' first drive in the second half with 8:29 left in the quarter, it didn't go well for them either.

On first down, Darius tried a gut play up the middle but it was stopped for only a 1-yard gain. Doug was able to stop him.

On second down, Evan tried to go through the middle again. But, the Mad Dogs nearly caught a break. He dropped the ball! Unfortunately, Evan was able to recover it at the line of scrimmage and the Tigers retained possession.

After an incomplete pass to Willie Wright from Deangelo, the Tigers, too, had to punt it away. Ash punted it away to the Mad Dog 37, where it was down by a Tiger. The see-saw battle continued.

--MID ball--

The Mad Dog's next drive was more of the same. Ron came back in as the tailback. On first down, Brian got the handoff from Stan but was only able to gain a yard before Deangleo in his linebacker position made the stop.

On 2nd down and 9 from the Middleton 38, Ron got the ball from Stan but was instantly pulled down from behind by Marvin Young for a loss of 4 yards.

After Bart prevented Ron from getting the first down on a 4-yard on on 3rd and 13, he was growing more frustrated. In the first half, he had 89 yards on 9 carries, but has only four yards on his last three carries. The Tiger defense was bearing down upon him.

David had to punt again. This time, his punt covered 48 yards, but Deangelo was back to return it. He went from his own 14 to the Tiger 30 for a 16-yard return. Vince made the special teams tackle.

--SP ball--

The score was still Middleton 21, South Panola 16 with 4:46 left in the quarter. It was time for only one thing for the cheerleaders, pyramid time. Veruca looked at her two fingers with the irregular nails. Heh, wait until Possible gets a big 'stitch' on her face Veruca thought to herself. The cheerleaders, in front of their faithful Mad Dog fans, divided up into three piles, two for London and Camille and the other for Veruca. Kim, unforunately, had to be in the pile with that snotty-nosed brat. Caitlin, Sharpay, Tara, Kim, and Brittany had the arduous job of holding their cheerleading captain up in the air. Her two irregular nails were set on Kim's sights, ready to make a fool out of the poor red-haired cheerleader. The pyramid proceeded as planned. After London and Camille landed on the ground, Veruca was the last one. She went up 5 feet in the air and her irregular nails tried to swipe at Kim's cheeks but it missed by centimeters. Damn, Veruca thought, now I'm going to have to wait until the mid-point of the fourth quarter to slash Kim's cheeks. Little did she know that her father was recording everything. Mr. Possible usually records his Kimmie-cub's cheerleading performances.

Back in the game, South Panola now had the football at the Tiger 30. Coach Woods knew that the momentum had to shift towards his favor. So he called in Deangelo to run another quarterback option. On the first play of the drive, Deangelo picked up 6 yards on the run before Lee took him down at the Tiger 36.

On 2nd and 4, Deangelo handed the ball off to Darius on the left guard. Darius found a block by Burris Ewell and a hole opened up. He went through it. Ron and Vince made the stop but not before Darius picked up 11 yards to the Tiger 47 and a Tiger first down.

On the following play, Darius got the handoff again and he was following his lead blocker, Francis Hancock the tight end. He was already crossing the first down marker before he felt a hand on his face mask. It was Ron Stoppable. He was trying to prevent Darius from making the big play and he stopped him at the Middleton 37, but ironically, he also twisted the face mask. Big mistake, Stoppable, big mistake, he thought. Yellow laundry immediately flew on the field. The official made the following call

PERSONAL FOUL, FACE MASK ON THE DEFENSE, NUMBER 7 ON THE PLAY, IT IS A 15-YARD PENALTY ASSESSED FROM THE END OF THE RUN, AUTOMATIC FIRST DOWN

Booing immediately filled up the Mad Dogs' side. Unfortunately for Middleton fans everywhere, the official did make the right call. Ron was twisting Darius' face mask and it cost them 15 yards. Kim dropped her pom-poms momentarily and slapped her hand against her face Why did you do that, Ron, why? Barkin told Ron not to make that mistake again. The ball was moved to the Middleton 22 yard-line with 3 minutes left in the third.

Sensing the foolish mistake that Number 7 made, Coach Woods decided to go with a pass play. The Mad Dogs D was expecting the run. This was not a good stitch for the Mad Dogs defense. Denagelo dropped back to pass and found a wide open Karl Branting in the end zone. He passed it to Karl deep and Karl easily catched it into the endzone. Touchdown, South Panola. The homestanding Tigers roared their approval in the forms of cheers, screams, and airhorn sounds. Von did his usual "Super Bowl Shuffle" dance. After Ted's point after, South Panola was now ahead 23-21 with 2:53 left in the third. Ron was ashamed that his 15-yard personal foul sitch put the Tigers in the lead by two points.

--MID ball--

Dash returned the ensuing kickoff, two yards deep into the end zone. But the speedster was contained for a 9-yard return. Germichael Diggs contained him immediately.

Ron, shaking off his mistake, returned the kickoff to the Mad Dog 22 for 15 yards before Blaise made the tackle.

Coach Barkin sent in Ladario as the tailback. Ladario started the drive off with a 3-yard run up the middle as Jarred Wilkes and Evan made the stop.

On 2nd and 7 from the Mad Dog 25, Brian tried a fullback run up the middle. He followed his blocks and was able to pick up 5 yards before Evan made another tackle.

Coach Barkin then said to Ron, who was still on the sidelines "Stoppable, you're up".

It was now 3rd and 2 with 1:29 remaining in the rapidly-moving third quarter. Ron checked into the ballgame for Ladario. Even though he wasn't well known as a power back, he used all of his 185-pound frame to dive in for a Mad Dog first down with a 3-yard gain to the Mad Dog 33-yard line. Russell Northrop and Marvin both made a hard hit on Ron.

On first down from the 33, Ron got another handoff but Damon met him at the 32 for a loss of 1 yard. The quarter concluded with Ron carrying yet again to the Middleton 32 for no gain. Roger Klotz made the stop

The end of the third quarter was: South Panola 23, Middleton 21. It was the beginning of the fourth quarter. For Veruca, Ron, the Possible family, and Kim, this quarter would change their lives.


	21. Game 1 Quarter 4: Cut Cheek and Victory

Middleton's drive stalled out at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Stan tried to pass to Ron but had double coverage on him. The pass was tipped by Deangelo and Middleton was forced to go three-and-out again.

David's 42-yard punt was returned by Deangelo, but was immediately stuffed by the backup fullback, Troy Bolton, for a 6-yard loss to the Tiger 20.

--SP Ball--

It didn't take long for South Panola to move again. With 11:35 left in the game, Deangelo handed it off to Darius on a counter play. Darius picked up some good blocks and picked up 16 yards on the run, another Tiger first down. Ron, bruises and all, made the tackle.

On first down from the South Panola 36, Darius rushed up the middle for a meager gain of 3 yards before Eugene, the heart of the Mad Dog defense, stopped him.

On 2nd and seven, Evan tried to go through the middle again but was instantly taken down from behind by TJ for a 2-yard loss. Coach Woods then went to the air to strike at the Middleton secondary.

On 3rd and 9, the ball was snapped from Dudley. Deangelo scanned the field and found Karl wide open. Karl made the reception as Token Black came up with the stop for a 14 yard gain and another first down for South Panola. It also moved the ball into Mad Dog territory. Now the Mad Dogs have to make some sort of a defensive stand against the Tigers.

On first down from the Mad Dog 49, Deangelo called his own number and picked up 7 yards to the 42 as Jimmie Hopkins stopped him cold there. 9:54 remained on the game clock.

The Tigers need to waste as much time on the game clock as possible. Deangelo waited until the play clock dropped to 2 and ran another play again. This time, Evan went through the middle and picked up 6 yards to the Tiger 36 and another first down. Ron was credited with another tackle on Evan.

On the next play, Deangelo again waited until 3 seconds showed on the play clock and gave the ball off to Darius and picked up another 8-yard gain to the 28. TJ made yet another stop. There was now 8 minutes and 51 seconds left in the game

. On 2nd and 2, Darius again wore down the play clock to 4 seconds and gave the ball off to Evan. This time, TJ hit Evan so hard that the ball popped out onto the turf at the Mad Dog 25-yard line. A sea of Mad Dog defenders dived over it. Ron and the Middleton players that weren't involved in the dog pile pointed that it was Mad Dog football. The referee pointed into the direction of Middleton. Mikey was the first Mad Dog to get to the football. The Mad Dogs had recovered a fumble! The visiting crowd cheered on the defense, chanting the Mad Dog grunts that Ron used to do as the mascot. There was still hope for an upset!

--MID Ball--

The game clock now read 8:19. The Mad Dogs need to strike fast. The good thing is that they have all three of their timeouts. However, they do not want to suffer any turnovers at the hands of the Tigers.

Their drive from their own 25 started as Ron got the counter handoff again from Stan. He fought his way for a 4-yard gain to the 29 with Damon bringing him down.

On 2nd and 6, Coach Barkin wanted a post route. With the play clock at 1, Stan dropped back to pass and found a wide-open Carver Descartes for a 12 yard gain to the Middleton 41 as Dontrell Avery made the stop. There was only 7:36 remaining.

Coach Barkin then swapped out Brian as fullback for Dashiell Baxter as a second tight end and put Ron as the single back. Ron only picked up 2 yards before Grover met him at the 43 on first down.

He tried again up the middle but picked up only 1 yard to the 44. Roger Klotz for the Tigers made the stop.

After an incomplete pass from Stan to Carver, the drive quickly stalled and Middleton had to send in the punting unit with 5:57 left in the game. Their chances of winning now became very slim. David punted the ball to the Tiger 21 where Deangelo was waiting for the return. Deangelo made one man miss before going out of bound to the Tiger 32, an 11-yard return

--SP ball

South Panola, sensing that it was below six minutes on the game clock, continued to milk time off.

On first and 10 from their 32. Deangelo handed it off to Evan up the middle for a 6-yard gain to the 38 as Token made the stop.

The next play, Coach Woods wants his star quarterback to run the highly effective QB option. Deangelo did so. With 5:09 left in the game and the play clock dwindling to 3 seconds, Deangelo kept the option himself and got 14 yards into Middleton territory again, at the 48. Ron, badly bruised through the entireity of the game, made another stop but not before another Tiger first down was added to the stats.

The next play was a simple fullback handoff by Evan to the 46 for a 2-yard gain as Greg Goldberg made the stop.

Evan, again, got the handoff on second down and picked up 3 more yards as Eugene brought him down. The clock now read 3:54. Coach Barkin then called the first of his three timeouts for the Mad Dogs.

He huddled his starting defense together "We must make this stop here." Then he said to his offense "We cannot afford any turnovers or mistakes." The huddles then broke and the defense took to the field.

On third down, Evan carried on another fullback handoff but picked up only 1 yard to the Mad Dog 45 before Ralph got him. Three minutes and 46 seconds remained on the clock. Time for South Panola to go three-and-out

Ash punted to the Mad Dog 15. Ron then broke through two tackles and got to the Mad Dog 47 before being stuffed by Viktor. A 32-yard punt return from a 30-yard punt put Ron at over 250 all-purpose yards for the night.

--MID ball--

On the visiting side, Kim looked on at the defensive struggle going back and forth. Middleton had fought tooth-and-nail against the Tigers. Now, with 3:38 left on the clock, the chances of winning are slim. Hopefully, we don't screw up she thought to herself. She had been cheering for her beloved Mad Dogs team all night long. She wished she would try and pump up the crowd in this sitch but she couldn't. Only the cheerleading captain can pump up the crowd and, right now, the Middleton crowd seemed to be out of it because of two reasons. One, South Panola has been dominating in the second half and two, Veruca has controlled the Middleton squad with her iron fist.

Then Veruca gestured to a spot on the track. Kim knew that gesture meant only one thing to her. It was pyramid time. She shuddered and went to the position that Veruca ordered her to on the track.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders got into their usual positions to do the pyramid. London and Camille, being the co-captains, were to the left and right of her as they went first. The two co-captains went of top of the pyramid, extended their pom-poms into the air and flew the usual five five feet in the air before landing back into the arms of the other Mad Dog cheerleaders. Now, it was Veruca's turn. Kim was to the left of Veruca as she held her up. Veruca extended her pom-poms, flew five feet in their air and came back down. As she did so, she protruded her right hand, the one that had the two irregular sharp fingernails on it, and swiped "lightly" at Kim on her right cheek. She landed on her feet. It all happened within a split-second

Kim didn't realize that Veruca slashed at her with those fingernails until she felt the contact on her cheek. "OOOWWWW" Kim screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling the little drops of blood coming out her damaged cheek. Her scream was felt on the visitor's side of the field. She started to cry. The two cuts that Veruca inflicted on Kim were eight centimeters long.

Veruca, always only thinking about her, laughed to herself. Heh, take that Possible. You won't be a threat to me anymore. This will remind you of your submission to me, you red-headed coward. She had done what she wanted to, humiliate Kimberly Anne Possible in front of the Middleton fans in order to preserve her position as the captain. It also came with a terrible price.

At the same time as the altercation, Ron carried the ball from Stan but a hard hit from Bart forced the football loose. All Ron could hear on the turf was his long-time red-haired half of Team Possible screaming. The cheers of the Tiger crowd drowned out Kim's scream. Damon pounced on the football and recovered it for South Panola at the Middleton 42 with 3:25 left in the game. Ron couldn't believe it. He had lost the game for the Mad Dogs. Coach Barkin was screaming in his ear. "What the hell is wrong with you, Stoppable. You have committed two mistakes against this team. I believe that this mistake has cost your team the game." The Middleton crowd gave a loud goan and fell silent. It seemed like that South Panola was going to win again and Middleton would go down in defeat.

What Veruca didn't know was that James Possible, her father, caught everything on his high-powered digital video camera. This camera had frame-by-frame stills and zoom in abilities that would eventually begin Veruca's fall from grace. James was shocked when he saw how Veruca and her two sharp fingernails harmed his Kimmie-cub. Anne, who was sitting next to her husband of 18 years, looked at the slow-motion of the "dirty-blonde brat", as the Possibles usually call her, inflicting bodily harm on her daughter. She was in a complete state of shock.

"This abuse to my Kimmie-cub by that dirty-blonde brat has gone on far enough." James confirmed. "It's time, once and for all, to get rid of that Veruca hellspawn from the squad. And I think I know how." Knowing from Kim's constant text messaging lessons, James took out his cell phone as he began to text-message to a few of the other families in the crowd. The first people that James sent a text message to were the Broflovskis, Gerald and Shelia. "It's time to get rid of veruca from the squad, JP" the text said. Shelia was especially shocked by a crying Kim, still trying to stop the bleeding drops from her cheek. James then sent that same message to the Stoppables, the Stotches, and the Marshes. As those spouses looked at Veruca, which showed no emotion over Kim's dilema, they knew that the time for a captain change was now.

Bonnie, who heard her friend's scream, immediately came to Kim's aid. She looked at the damaged right cheek. "Manager, we need a couple of bandages," Bonnie ordered.

The Middleton team manager gave Bonnie a box of Band-Aids for Kim's cheek. "Hold on, K. Just hold still" Bonnie whispered.

"IT HURTS, IT HURTS" Kim wailed as her emerald eyes were starting to water with tears again. A flood of conflicting emotions came over her. She thought back to the fateful day of the cheerleading captain incident. Veruca's "red-headed coward" taunts, and Camille and London laughting at her. Then she remembered the words of her father earlier in the afternoon on her cell phone: Go ahead and do what's right in your heart and you will fail at nothing. These words gave her a new sense of determination and course, something that has been present when facing against Drakken but not against Veruca. Kim dried up her eyes and saw her parents, the ones that she looked up to when times were down. The Possible spouses nodded their heads at her. Kim, in response, nodded her head back to them. Bonnie gave Kim a nod as well, and Kim nodded back. It was time for the red-haired cheerleader to do something that she has not done in three years: oppose Veruca Darling Salt and her iron will.

Kim, now bandaged, then observed the defeated looks of her fellow cheerleaders. It seems like that every time that Middleton falls behind at the end of the game, the Mad Dog cheerleaders just stand there in a mode of defeat. This was another trait that Veruca has imposed upon the team because of her tendency to wimp out when things aren't going her way. Kim knew in her heart that the game was not over yet. She had to reignite the dying flame of Mad Dog spirit within the fans and the cheerleaders. Three minutes and nine seconds wasn't much time to think. Kim had to act now.

With quick thinking, she noticed her discarded golden pom-poms that were just laying there on the track floor. She took the pom-poms in her hands and then motioned her left hand in the air. The Middleton crowd, which was beginning to disperse, suddenly caught notice of Kim's gesture of raising her pom-pom in the air. Then the fans looked at the clock. The visiting Mad Dog fans then stood on their feet and stomped on the steel bleacher stands, with 2800 voices chanting "Here we go Mad Dogs, here we go. Here we go Mad Dogs, here we go." Then Kim, like a cheerleader who wanted to pump up the crowd at a home game, traveled across the visiting stands with her arm motioning the crowd to get back into the game. Middleton fans then started to make loud noises, louder than that of the South Panola crowd.

Veruca, who was witnessing these stunning turn of events from her rival cheerleader, insisted to Kim angrily but quietly, "What the hell is going on, Possible? Face it. We lost the game."

Kim confidently answered, "I'm trying to install school spirit. This game isn't over yet." She then mouthed the words, "Screw you" in Veruca's sight. Although she didn't say those two words verbally, Veruca knew what it meant. She was in a state of shock at this considerable breach of her seniority. A junior cheerleader mocking her senior cheerleading captain is offensive to the Middleton Cheerleader's Code, Veruca thought to herself, her look changed from satisfied to angry Possible is stealing my show. She wanted to punch Kim in the face so hard right now that blood would run down her mouth. Yet, she took her time. Certainly she did not want to punch Kim in front of 10,000 witnesses. She wanted to do so in private. All the dirty-blonde cheer captain could do right now was to witness Kim pumping up the crowd with three minutes left in the game.

-- SP ball --

Kim's newfound courage also made its way to Ron on the football field. The dejected tailback suddenly felt a surge of determination and strength within himself when he heard the Mad Dog fans cheering and stomping their feet simultaneously. On the first play after the fumble, Evan carried up the middle for a 1-yard gain to the Mad Dog 41 as he was stopped by Mikey. The clock now drained to 3:09.

The next play changed the momentum and the tide of the game. Darius got the handoff and proceeded to go up the middle to the Middleton 34. Suddenly, he felt a hard hit by Eugene. Then, a split-second later, the ball fell to the turf at the Middleton 34. Ron, sensing that the ball was on the turf, picked the pigskin up. He swerved by one Tiger defender and was suddenly out in the open field. All Ron could hear down the Middleton sideline were cheers from the players, the fans chanting his name "Unstoppable", and Kim cheering him on "Go, Ron." Ron crossed into South Panola territory before Deangelo made the touchdown-saving tackle at the Tiger 40. It was a 26-yard fumble return for Ron Stoppable. Sensing that the Middleton offense now has the football, Kim motioned her pom-pom downward to quiet down the rambunctious crowd. Veruca, now reduced to a spectator, seethed with even more hatred towards Kim. Even the cheerleaders, whom she instructed to go into a cut and run mode after the fumble, came back to life to cheer on. They were cheering not for Veruca, Camille, or London, they were cheering for the Mad Dog school spirit.

--MID ball--

It was now first and 10 for the Mad Dogs at the Tiger 40, but only 2:48 still remained in the game. Coach Barkin, called for 4 Eagle One, a pass play. The play clock reached 8 seconds before Devon snapped the ball to Stan. The junior quarterback scanned the field and spotted Carver. He threw the pass in his direction. Carver made the reception and was stopped by Jermaine Carr, but not before he picked up 14 yards and a Mad Dog first down with 2:39 left in the game.

The next play saw Stan hand the ball off to Ron. Russell Northrop hit him first at the line of scrimmage, and as an extra bonus, he tackled him again when Number 7 was down. This prompted the referees to throw the flags. Tiger fans could not believe their eyes when the call was heard.

PERSONAL FOUL ON THE DEFENSE, NUMBER 43 ON THE PLAY, IT'S HALF THE DISTANCE TO THE GOAL AND ADDED TO THE END OF THE RUN, FIRST DOWN.

Tiger fans booed at the call but it was true, Russell did hit Ron after he was tackled. It moved the ball from the Tiger 26-yard line to the Tiger 13-yard line.

Two minutes and seven seconds read on the scoreboard and 23-21 was still the score in favor of the Tigers. Coach Woods called the first of the three Tiger timeouts at that time. He discussed with his tired-out Tiger defense on how to contain Stoppable.

On first and 10 from the Tiger 13, Coach Barkin called in 7 Burst. This means that Ron would take a burst up the middle. The battered Number 7 jersey took the handoff up the middle, picked up an excellent block from Ben, and gained 9 yards to the Tiger 4. Only 1:47 separated the Mad Dogs from doing what 89 teams could not have done, break "The Streak."

The next play that Barkin wants to run was "7 Left Counter". Ron, who had excelled over 100 yards on the ground, knew that this play was for him. He lined up as the singleback behind Stan. Once again, Stan barked the signals "Hut, Hut." Stan handed the ball off to Ron and the star tailback went to his left. Damon tried to bring him down, but Ron dived his way into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown. The referee shot his hands up in the air.

TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS.

The Middleton crowd exploded with shouts of applause, cheers, chants of "Unstoppable, Unstoppable", and airhorns. Bonnie said to herself, Yes. For the first time in the second half, the marching band came to life by playing the fight song, and Kim Possible carried the white Middleton HS banner across the track and back again. The Mad Dogs were on top. Charlie's PAT went through the uprights. The score was now: Middleton 28, South Panola 23 with 1:31 remaining in the game. Both Middleton and South Panola have two timeouts remaining.

--SP ball--

Charlie kicked off to Karl at the Tiger 3; Karl returned it to the Tiger 27 as Oliver Oken, a backup defensive back, made the stop.

Ron, almost worn out from his experiences, rejoined the rest of the Middleton defense. He then looked at the game clock: 1:23 left. Deangelo and the Tigers' offense went back on the field. Coach Woods instructed Deangelo to run out-of-bounds to stop the clock and preserve the remaining two timeouts. On the first play on this crucial Tigers' drive, Deangelo went to the left side. He picked up 18 yards to the Tiger 48. It cut off only 7 seconds from the clock: 1:16 remaining.

The tension was mounting for both sides. Kim and the rest of the cheerleaders, excluding the three captains, raised the roof to pump up the 2800 faithful Mad Dog fans. The marching band was playing the Rocky theme. Even the backup Mad Dog football players, such as Troy Bolton, Jimmie Zara, the Tweebs, Jonesy Garcia, Oliver, and Jackson Stewart raised the noise level of the visitors.

On the next play, Deangelo then found Karl on a pass for an 5-yard gain to the Middleton 47-yard-line, but he did not get out of bounds because Lee prevented him from reaching that point. The play was taking too much time off of the clock. The clock now approached 57 seconds. Coach Woods signaled that he wanted to take his teams' second timeout.

TIMEOUT IS CHARGED TO SOUTH PANOLA, THEY HAVE ONE TIMEOUT REMAINING.

Coach Barkin warned his leaky Mad Dog defense to defend against anything the Tigers throw at them. It was now 2nd and 5. Deangelo took the snap and dropped back to pass, trying to find an open wide receiver. What he got instead was a hard-hitting welcome from Eugene Thompson, the senior Mad Dog Linebacker. Eugene dropped him for a sack of 6 yards to the Tiger 47. The play was again taking up too much time: 38 seconds remain. The Middleton fans were as loud as they can be. Tiger fans were confused Hrmm. Why hasn't Coach Woods called in that last time-out? Mrs. Simpson wondered in her head.

The clock now showed less than 30 seconds and ticking. Deangelo quickly got off a play on 3rd and 11. He found Willie for an 8-yard gain to the Mad Dog 45 yardline. Lee was credited with the stop. Coach Woods signaled in his final timeout, with 22 seconds remaining. It was now 4th down and 3 yards for the first. This was South Panola's last chance for not a field goal, but for a touchdown.

THE TIMEOUT IS CHARGED TO SOUTH PANOLA, THAT IS THEIR LAST TIMEOUT.

Coach Barkin, sent in a couple of backup cornerbacks: Dean Thomas, Wyatt Williams and Jamie Davis. There was only one reason to bring in these extra defensive backs: the Hail Mary pass. The Tigers, instead of the I Formation, now lined up in a 5 Wide receiver formation. Dontrell Avery, Willie, Karl, Tristian Gray and Anthony Butler were the wide receivers. Twenty-two seconds separated Middleton from victory or defeat. The Middleton crowd has now reached its peak in noise. The ball was snapped from Dudley. Deangelo dropped back to pass. The clock was ticking down and he felt pressure from his right side. He released the ball 20 yards in the air into the direction of TJ.

And the catch is made ...

by Ronald Stoppable of the Middleton Mad Dogs in front of Dontrell. An interception at the Middleton 27 with 17 seconds left in the game!!!! He advanced to the Middleton 29. It didn't matter. The Middleton High Mad Dogs have done the impossible: they broke the Tigers' long winning streak on their home turf. The Middleton crowd exploded into a bedlam of wild cheers, screams of "Unstoppable", and the white Middleton HS banner flag carried by Bonnie made its trip across the track and back again. Of the 22 cheerleaders on the Mad Dog cheer squad, Kim cheered the loudest for Ron. Her strength and courage brought the Mad Dog spirit back into Middleton High when things got rough. Oh, how much I want to hug Ron, she thought to herself.

The Mad Dog victory formation came in for the remainder of the 17 seconds. A stunned, defeated South Panola defense came out. Ron, Ladario, and Brian stood behind Stan. Stan proceeded to take a knee to the Middleton 27. The game clock wore down to zero seconds as the final buzzer sounded throughout Dunlap Stadium. John, in the pressbox, could not believe his eyes. He predicted that the Tigers would win by 31 points in Game 1. Instead, the Mad Dogs won by five points. For the first time since the Olive Branch, the stats lied to him. Felix, still in his seat for the last three hours, put his laptop in the bag. Then he grabbed his heavy crutches and was guided out the stadium by John.

Final Score for Game 1: Middleton Mad Dogs 28, South Panola Tigers 23.


	22. PostGame 1 Celebrations and Evil Plans

**Disclaimer: I do not own Holday Inn, it is the property of iChoice Hotels.**

**I also do not own Chick-Fil-A.**

With all of their stats printed out, Felix and John gave the newly finished papers to the PA and left for the cheerleader vans.

The PA announced the final stats of Game 1 "The final score of tonight's game 1 is the Middleton Mad Dogs 28, your South Panola Tigers 23. In rushing numbers, for the Mad Dogs, Ron Stoppable had 110 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown; Ladario Weathers had 64 yards on six carries and one touchdown; Brian Williams had 36 yards on six carries and Stan Marsh had three yards on three carries. The Mad Dogs have 213 yards on 37 carries and two touchdowns."

"For your Tigers, Darius Griffin had 124 yards on 15 carries; Deangelo Young had 108 yards on 15 carries; Evan Nordan had 73 yards on 18 carries, and Ash Ketchum had 14 yards on three carries and one touchdown. In all, your Tigers have 319 yards on 51 carries and one touchdown."

"In passing, for the Mad Dogs, Marsh was three of seven for 44 yards and one touchdown; Stoppable also tried to throw a pass but was picked off. Carver Descartes had two receptions for 26 yards and Stoppable had one reception for 18 yards and one touchdown."

"For your Tigers, Young was three of five for 41 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Karl Branting had all three receptions for 41 yards and one touchdown."

"In total offense, the Mad Dogs ran 45 plays and picked up 257 offensive yards. Your Tigers ran 56 plays for 360 yards."

"Please drive home safely. Game 2 is right here in Batesville between these same two teams on Monday night."

"So long from Dunlap Stadium. Again your final score is: Middleton 28, South Panola 23."

On the football field, the Mad Dog players celebrated their historical victory in the first game of the series over the Tigers. The Mad Dog cheerleading squad, excluding Veruca, Camille, and London, joined in as well. Then, Coach Barkin approached Coach Woods. They both shook hands with each other for playing a good game. The Middleton coaches, players, and cheerleaders, in a show of good sportsmanship, then shook hands with the defeated South Panola players and coaches. Fans were not allowed to enter the football according to MHSAA rules, so they decided to head for the exits.

After the congrats, Ron, in his dirt-stained number 7 road jersey, spotted Kim with her red hair and the two Band-Aids on her right cheek. At the same time, Kim spotted the star tailback in his sweaty messed-up blond hair. The two embraced and hugged each other at midfield.

"Oh, Ron" Kim said.

"Oh, Kim" Ron said.

Tears fell down their eyes, this time tears of joy and happiness. Team Possible has taken down Drakken and Shego on many occassions, but this was monumental. They singlehandily have led their football team to defeat the nation's top program in football on their home turf. As the hugging between the two concluded, Kim spotted her dad. _Thanks Daddy. Without your words, we would have lost, _she thought to herself.Kim waved to her parents which were still in the dispersing crowd. The Possibles waved back to their daughter.

Ron and Kim did their traditional post-game slogan.

"Booyah" and "Badical" both came from Ron and Kim's mouths as they high-fived each other.

The Mad Dogs, cheerleaders and players alike, gathered up in a prayer circle. After a brief moment of prayer, the football team raised their helmets in the air. The cheerleaders raised their hands in the air as well. The squad joined the football players in unison, and repeated the Mad Dog chant.

"Who we are, MAD DOGS!!!"

"Who we are, MAD DOGS!!!"

"Who we are, MAD DOGS!!!"

(barking sounds)

Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

1.....2.......3

MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Mad Dogs then broke the huddle and prepared to leave to go to their respective hotels. The football team was going to say at the Days Inn in Grenada, because it was the largest full-service hotel from Grenada to Southaven. The cheerleaders prepared to depart to the newest hotel in Batesville, the Holiday Inn. The location there was perfect, being so close to Interstate 55. It was also the nicest hotel in town and the only hotel in Batesville that has an on-site restaurant.

Veruca, who was leaning against the side of the visitors' stands, watched in disgust as the Mad Dog faithful celebrated the historical win. She did not partake in any of the celebrations and neither she nor her co-horts took part in the post-game prayer circle.

_This is not fair, this is bullshit _she complained. _It was supposed to be my night. I'm supposed to be the one who pumps up the crowd and lead this stupid team to victory. I'm supposed to be the one who hugs the star tailback at midfield. But no! That little red-haired bitch decides to ruin my night, even after I slashed her cheek. _She look at her irregular fingernails, which now had two microscopic blood stains on them. Life was not fair to the cheerleading captain. She didn't know her little "incident" with Kim nearly cost the Mad Dogs the game.

Camille and London approached Veruca. "So, how is my popularity level with the students?" Veruca inquired.

Camille then took her pink PDA out of her $3,000 Gucci bag that she normally carries around her. She typed in a few buttons on the PDA and approached Veruca. "Well" Veruca barked at Camille, "what's my popularity level?" Camille sadly replied back, "Your popularity level with Middleton High is ... the lowest level that I have ever seen."

"What?" Veruca exclaimed and gave a stunned look "Give me that."

She snatched the PDA from Camille and her stunned look turned into that of despair and depression. Her fears were confirmed. No one seems to like Veruca anymore. Her popularity level read: 2 friends left. The two lone friends of Veruca Darling Salt were right in front of her face, Camille Leon and London Tipton. She held her hands in her face and began to cry.

_What can I do? _she though through her tears _How can I win my cheerleaders and friends back? WAAAAHHHH!! That bastard is stealing all my friends away from me. _After she dried her tears from her latest tantrum on her cheer uniform, Veruca quckly spied her wallet inside her $7,000 designer purse. Inside that wallet were her credit cards and, unfortunately, her dad's credit cards as well. This gave Veruca a devious idea. "I need to win my friends back, and I think I know how?" she slyly chuckled as her blue eyes kept her gaze on the wallet.

This was Veruca's last chance to regain her superiority over the school. She also had devised an evil plan of making sure that neither Kim nor her friends would take her sacred captain position.

The Possible parents, which were the only fans remaining on the visitor's side, then looked at those three captains. They were now more suspicious than ever. _First, that dirty-blonde brat inflicted bodily harm on my Kimmie-cub, now they aren't participating in the prayer circle. Something must be going on. _James thought to himself. _I bet she is up to no good, but I don't know what it is. _Then, turning to Ann, he said to her "I'm gonna meet up with the other parents." His wife came along with him and they both left the stadium to the gravel parking-lot.

In the Tigers' locker room, Coach Woods addressed his defeated South Panola team. "You fought well out there, but we made some mistakes that cost us the game. We, however, need to put that loss behind us. We won't treat them lightly in Game 2. We are going to hit them hard, and we will win." The South Panola team huddled in a prayer circle, and left.

In the victorious Mad Dogs locker room, the football players were still hugging each other. Coach Barkin addressed his troops "All right, we fought a very hard game and we came out on top. We have done something that hasn't been done in years, beat the Tigers on their own turf. Now get some rest for tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, we'll start practicing for Game 2 in Grenada, but for tonight, let's celebrate this victory." The Mad Dog players cheered. They all hudled in a prayer circle and prepared to head out to the charter buses that will take them to their hotel in Grenada.

The football team then got a much-deserved "dinner" from the Middleton High Football Booster Club. The meals consisted of cheese pizza, a sub, or a hamburger followed by chips and a soda. Ron chose the cheese pizza. As the tired football team munched down, they congratulated Ron on his latest performance. _Man, _Ron said to himself, _Having more than 250 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns sure does make me hungry. _The football team finished up their food and threw it away in the designated garbage bags.

John guided Felix to the handicapped van. Felix was helped up by Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Newman, and Mr. Malone. Mr. Malone then restrained Felix back in his power wheelchair. The hotel was not far from the stadium. It was about a good five-minute drive from the stadium. So, all 23 of the Mad Dog cheerleaders gathered outside the gravel parking lot next to the cheerleader buses. They all socialized with each other as they got some free subs and cheese pizzas. Of course, Kim and the other Mad Dog cheerleaders stayed away from Veruca, Camille, and London. They were seated in the same assigned buses as when they left Middleton High. Kim, as usual, sat in the middle of the second bus with John sitting next to her. Veruca, as being the senior captain, sat in the front seat of the first bus. Felix took up the rear in the handicap cheerleading bus.

The four cheerleading buses left Dunlap Stadium at 10:15 pm. On the five-minute sojurn to the Holiday Inn, Veruca was in the front seat thinking to herself. _Once my plan of maintaining my captain status and popularity comes true, no one will be able to stop me, not even Possible or her little bitch friends. _She gave a slight evil chuckle to herself as the buses quickly approached the hotel.


	23. Checking In and Turning In

After the cheerleader buses left first, the Mad Dog players then boarded the charter buses to take them to their team hotel in Grenada at 10:30. Ron boarded the second bus and sat in the middle seat.

Stan sat next to him. "Hey man, are ya ready to go to Grenada?" Stan asked Ron. "I sure am," Ron excitely stated before Coach Barkin climbed aboard the bus. The doors closed and the three charter buses drove out of the abandoned South Panola field. While on the road, the Mad Dog players sang off-key renditions of "Sweet Home Alabama". About 40 minutes later, the charter buses finally arrived at the Days Inn in Grenada. The receptionist then gave 60 keys to each of the players. Coach Barkin then ordered the starters and second team to occupy the first floor while the third team will occupy the second floor. He ordered his players to be out front in the restaurant at 9:00 am sharp so that the players will go to Saturday practice for 9:30. Two players each then occupied 45 of the hotel's guest rooms. Ron then inserted the key into the slot of room 129. His roomate was backup fullback Troy Bolton. Ron streched out on the double bed and took out his knapsack. Troy took out his iPod and turned the volume up. This meant only one thing to him: harmonica time. He took out his harmonica and said to to himself, _This one's for you Kim. _He played a blues song for her for the next five minutes. Even though she wasn't there in front of Ron, he could always feel her presence with the Mississippi players then stayed up until "lights out" at 12:30am. The Mad Dogs then got seven hours of rest, for they have a long day of football practice at Grenada High tomorrow.

As the four cheerleader buses approached the Holiday Inn of Batesville, the Mad Dog cheerleaders, some of them still in their uniforms, got out of the vans with their blankets and pillows. It has been a very long day of driving, cheerleading, and upsets. For Kim, she had to suffer from a slashed cheek, but those cuts have slowly began to heal. Her feud with Veruca, however, has not healed. She was now wearing the T-shirt eariler over her cheerleading uniform. John helped Kim, Bonnie, and Caitlin carry their stuff into their respective hotel rooms. Kim was, as usual, paired up with Bonnie in room 305. Tara was paired with Sharpay in room 213, Caitlin was paired with Crystal across the hall in room 215. Kate partnered with Maddie in room 104. Unfortunately for Bebe, she had to pair up with London in room 310. Veruca, being on top, paired up with Camille in room 407. The other cheerleaders paired up and occupied different rooms of the hotel.

Felix advanced down the hall in his power chair. He and Felix was assigned a handicapped room with double beds on the first floor. For John, having a bed by himself brought him relief. Every time he stayed at a hotel with the family, his brother would usually hog the covers away from him. John quickly unpacked his stuff and put on his pajamas.

He watched whatever was left of the _The Tonight Show. _"So, what's the master plan for tomorrow?" John questioned, knowing that the 'master plan' was one of his favorite words in the family.

Felix stated from his handicapped-friendly bed, "Well, the cheerleaders are gonna go to South Panola's gym to do cheerleading practice for several hours. After that, the assistant cheerleading coaches are taking them to Memphis for shopping. School policy states that they cannot spend more than $100 dollars shoppingwise in competitions. After that, I guess we're going to have dinner together at the hotel's restaurant. After a few hours of free time, we're gonna end up here."

"Sounds like a winner to me," John said as he stretched his body for some much-needed sleep. He then laid down his glasses and his cell phone on the nightstand, "Good night, Felix."

"Good night, John," Felix said as he yawned as he turned out his light as well and put his cell phone on the nightstand. Both statisticians fell asleep under the darkness of their hotel room. All John's closing eyes could see was the bright red light of the smoke detector.

Tara finally changed out of her cheer uniform into her pajamas. The blond-haired cheerleader had been through much within the last 24 hours. Two hours straight of Veruca's favorite show was torture enough for her. She stuck to her guns and refused to give in to Veruca's temptations. "Don't you feel like it's just one of those days in which you just simply want to punch a dirty, rotten, spoiled cheerleading captain right in the guts?" Tara angrily said as she rolled up her fists.

Sharpay was reading a gossip magazine in bed and concurred with Tara, "Yeah, I agree. I mean, I'm a senior and yet her co-captains are just juniors and they wield more power over us. I wanted to be the cheer captain as bad as Kim on that fateful day, but I wouldn't taunt her and call her a red-headed coward on an everyday basis. If I would've been cheer captain, I would allow the other cheerleaders to perform whatever unique talents they have. Kim seems to have a knack for pumping up the crowd and look what happened. We achieved what no other team has done in years at that stadium. But my biggest problem with Veruca as captain was when we were behind by two points with three minutes left. I mean, seriously, we stood in the midst of defeat until Kim got us back in the game."

Tara gave out a big yawn. Sharpay continued her rant "Another thing that bothers me about her is that her quote-en-quote morals are destroying the Mad Dog spirit. I mean, did you see her in the prayer circle when we celebrated that victory. NOOOOOO!!!! I was on the outer area of the circle when I heard Veruca crying. It's the same thing when she slashed Kim's cheek. It seems to me that she doesn't even give two shits about school spirit. She only cares about herself. I think we shouldn't allow her to be a cheerleading captain, no, I don't think we should allow her to cheerlead ... at all."

At the conclusion of her rant, Sharpay put down her magazine and warned Tara "Judging from the looks of the parents at Veruca, I'd say that she's up to no good again. We gotta be careful of her. We cannot fall for her tricks." Tara agreed. She put down her iPhone and iPod on the nightstand. Sharpay also put down her pink iPhone, the original one that she has had for a while. Sure it cost $500 bucks but that was before the recession started. Sharpay had wisely cut down on her spending when all of the bad economic news broke out. Then, she turned out the light to her side of the bad. Tara did likewise. Both blondes evenually fell asleep. As Tara's blue eyes closed for the night, all she could think of was poor Kim's reaction to her cut cheek and how it proved to be nearly detrimental to the team.

In room 305, Bonnie, now in her pajamas, hung up her discarded cheerleading uniform in the closet. Kim did the same as she now lay in bed. The bandages were still there on that right cheek. She dug through her knapsack until she finally reached her harmonica. Kim, who occupied the left bed, was exhaused from another long day of triumphs and taunts. She took the harmonica and played the bluesy melody for Ron. It was so depressing and misreable that it brought a tear to Bonnie's blue-green eyes. She understood how Kim had shared a strong friendship Ron. Seeing them hug each other on the field brought a warm embrace to her heart. Now, even though they were 40 miles apart in the North Mississippi hills, Kim still can hear Ron's voice through that harmonica. She missed his antics so much, on and off the field.

Kim then stopped her harmonica playing after 10 minutes and changed her worried mind to Veruca. It seems that she has gotten more paranoid than usual. _She doesn't want me to be the captain when she graduates. _

Fears of that thought came flowing into her mind.

Bonnie, in her bed, then changed the topic. "Hopefully Veruca will not lay a hand on you. Your dad talked with me earlier and he said he recorded the cheek incident, frame-by-frame. We can use this to indict Veruca and kick her off the team once and for all."

Kim with a drawn smile, "I hope so, B. I do hope so." Then the order of "Lights-Out" by Mrs. Johnson was declared on all four floors. Kim and Bonnie immediately turned off the lamps over the nightstands. Kim then placed her harmonica back in her knapsack.

"See ya tomorrow, K."

"Night, B, see ya tomorrow as well."

Almost all of the Mad Dog cheerleaders went to bed at 12:30. They were going to South Panola's gym for practice at 9 am sharp, which meant they had to be awake by 7:30.

Meanwhile, Veruca and Camille were on the fourth floor, plotting their evil scheme to destroy Kim's cheerleading hopes and ambitions. The two blondes analyzed the Middleton Cheerleading Code to them.

"Aha, here it is Secton 2, Rule 17"

'If an underclassman cheerleader performs a rogue cheer against her superior cheerleading captain, or talks back to her, then that underclassman cheerleader may be subjected to expulsion from the squad by election'

"Yes, this is it, this is what I need to destroy Possible's cheering career once and for all." Veruca sneered with an evil chuckle.

Camille, excited by this news, then warned her "Uhh, like, don't you forget. Almost all the cheerleaders, like, hate your guts except for me and, like, London. I think, like, after cheerleading practice, let's go on, like, a shopping spree at that Galleria Mall in Memphis."

This gave Veruca another brilliant evil addition to her scheme, "That's it! We are going to give the other cheerleaders gifts of a lifetime from the Galleria."

"And what about Possible," Camille wondered.

"The gifts will work their magic on the rest of the squad, my captain position will be safe, and Possible's cheerleading career will be no more." Veruca gave the hardest evil laugh that she had in her life. Camille joined in as well.

Mrs. Johnson then knocked on the door to room 407 "Allright you two captains, time for bed." Veruca and Camille obeyed their teacher's orders. They turned out the lights and closed their eyes. All Camille and Veruca can think about in their dreams was their evil scheme to end Kim's cheerleading hopes, permanately.

The Mad Dog players and cheerleaders were now fast asleep. As the stars continued to light up the night, everyone in Mad Dog Country celebrated that historical 28-23 Game 1 victory over South Panola. Yet, over the horizon, the next three days leading up to and concluding with Game 2 turned out to be the darkest days in Middleton Mad Dog history.


	24. Saturday Football Practice

Location: Grenada, Mississippi

Charger Field

It was a bright, clear, and sunny Saturday morning. Ron, himself, got up at 6:45, about 30 minutes earlier than Troy. The Mad Dog football team woke up from their hotel rooms to have breakfast in the on-site hotel restaurant. The time was now 9:00am. The Grenada School District sent in four of its yellow buses in front on the hotel entrance. Coach Barkin, who was known to be a military man, ordered his players to get oto the buses. The Mad Dog players did so.

The first bus contained the starters while the second bus had the second team. The third bus had the third team and the fourth bus had the rest of the JV players and the coaches.

After a brief 15-minute bus ride, they arrived at Grenada High Stadium.

From there, the Mad Dogs dressed up in their now-clean road jerseys and pads. The team of Middleton managers had the liberty of taking care of cleaning the jerseys from last night's carnage.

While practice was still going on, Coach Barkin looked over the game film from last night. He was impressed at how his team played in the final few minutes of the game. He also liked the fact that they forced three turnovers. But when he was told the final stats that South Panola outgained Middleton by 360 to 257, including the giving up of 319 rushing yards, he went over to his defensive coordinator, Coach Larry Knight. Coach Knight then gathered up the Mad Dog defense and tried his best to plug up any leaky holes in the base 4-3 defense that the Mad Dogs usually run. Those 319 yards were only the beginning from South Panola's rushing arsenal.

The day slowly wore on at Charger Field as the Mad Dogs practiced for the first two hours. Some of the Middleton faithful attended the rare Saturday practice in that small stadium. In 50 degree weather, it was comfortable, yet chilly. Ron did his usual runs to the sides, displaying that running ability that has college scouts drooling, and he's only a junior. Imagine if he had this in senior year. He'd be breaking all kinds of records with his favorite red-haired cheerleader standing by his side.

_Heh, I'll be in the NFL someday, _he thought to himself.

The tired players then broke practice for a lunch break provided by the booster club.

"Come on, come on. We don't have all day. We only have two days before we have to get our asses back into Batesville for Monday night. We gotta shape up. I want to see better for you!" Coach Barkin commanded to his players.

As the morning transformed into afternoon, the Mad Dog players were getting more and more worn out from Barkin's strenous exercises. As 4:30 rolled around, the Grenada buses were ready to take them back to the hotel to have dinner and rest up.

Barkin then huddled up his players, "All right, I saw some good stuff in practice today, like the blocking of the offensive line or making the catch or forcing a turnover. However, I don't like it how we are constantly missing our tackling assignments. That is not going to cut it on Monday night. South Panola will not take you very lightly, they will come down heavy on you. If you 90 players showed me the same courage that I saw in Game 1, we are going to shock Batesville again in Game 2. We do not have Sunday practice but on Sunday evening, after dinner, we are gonna go to the meeting room and look at the game film one last time before we go to South Panola. Now, rest up. We have a long ways to go. On three

1....2....3......

MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!"

As the players departed from Grenada High, Ron laid his sweaty blonde hair on the bus window. He had been trying to think of Kim all day long. He was wondering how Kim was holding up against the perils of Veruca's trechary.

Little did he know that the other half of Team Possible almost fell victim to the webs of Veruca's evil plan.


	25. The Pink Slip with the Black Spot

Setting: Batesville, Mississippi

Time: 7:00am

BZZZZT, BZZZZZZT

All Kim heard was the hotel's alarm clock going off. She rubbed her tired emerald eyes awake. Her red hair was all in a maze of curls and knots. She then stretched her tired body and opened up the curtains to take in the Saturday morning sun as it overlooked the Batesville skyline.

Bonnie then woke up five minues later after her. Her short, brown hair was in the same manner as Kim's, all messed up from last night. After their showers, they went down to the restaurant to have breakfast. Of course, they were seated in their usual social groups. Kim, still in her pajamas, was enjoying her eggs and bacon, and Bonnie enjoyed her sausages. "Hey K, how was your beauty sleep?" the tan-skinned cheerleader asked.

Kim groaned and rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache "Uhh, I'd rather not talk about it, B."

"Well, anyways, we're gonna get ready for cheerleading practice in about an hour. I think, after breakfast, we should get our gold cheerleading uniforms ready." Bonnie spoke. As she looked around the restaurant, she spotted the three evil captains. She added "And, rest assured, I will keep my eyes on Veruca."

Veruca, meanwhile, sat with London and Camille at the booth on the opposite side of the restaurant. They barely even touched their food because they were anorexic. Veruca weighed only 89 pounds, Camille weighed about 98 pounds, and London weighed only 94. Veruca only consumed about nine grapes before pushing her plate filled with fruit aside. They planned, in secret, how they were going to kick Kim off the cheerleading squad.

"All right, now during practice, I will give ... this to her" Veruca whispered. She then held an innocent looking pink sheet of paper, about five inches by seven. Then when Veruca unfolded it, London and Camille gasped. A medium-sized black permanent marker spot was right in the middle of that pink slip. "According to the Cheerleading Code, this is the primary symbol given to a rouge cheerleader who has disobeyed either school policy or disobeyed her superior cheerleaders. They will be given a 'fair' democratical trial on the night of when that pink slip is given to that rouge cheerleader." Veruca said quietly. She points to Kim. "Once the votes are counted against Possible," Veruca confidently smiled as she pounded her fist into her skeleton-looking hand. "Bam, she'll be stripped of her cheerleading status." She chuckled momentarily.

"Uhh, unforunately, I see one problem with the plan," London stated as she ate half a banana. "We can't give the gifts to everyone, and everyone hates our guts."

Veruca gave an evil smile and replied "I think you are only talking about Possible and her allies. _They _are the ones who hate our guts! The Fringe cheerleaders, you know, who don't side with either me or Kim will be the easy targets. That's the beauty of my plan. Once practice is over, we're gonna go to the mall and we are going to shop until we drop. Heh-heh. It'll be like taking candy from a baby. Hurry, we must get to practice and, oh yeah, I'd better not forget this." She took the pink slip with the black spot with her.

What Veruca did not notice was that while she was setting up her diabolical plan, the parent chaperones, most notably the Marshes, picked up on it.

Sharon gasped when she saw the pink slip with the black spot while she was eating with Randy. She took a picture of the pink sheet with her camera-phone right before Veruca left. They then paid the bill and walked out the restaurant to their room. "Uh, Randy, I think we should warn James and Anne about this."

Randy looked unconcerned, "How come?"

Sharon frantically responded "I have been a cheerleader before and I know what that symbol means. The pink sheet with the black spot signals the demise of a cheerleader's career. I think Veruca is going to give that sheet to Kimberly. We must warn them now!"

Randy agreed "You're right."

Then the Marshes knocked the door to the Possibles' hotel room. Anne, now curling up her hair, answered. A frantic Sharon Marsh stood in front of her long-time friend. "Anne, we have a very serious problem. We know what Veruca is trying to do to Kimberly."

"What is it?" Anne wondered.

Upon hearing this, James immediately turned off the TV and approached the Marsh couple. James demanded "What is that evil blond-haired hellspawn doing now to my Kimmie-cub?"

"This." Sharon said, out-of-breath. She showed then the picture on her cell of Veruca's pink slip with the black spot on it.

"Oh dear," Anne sulked back down in her bed. She was a former Mad Dog cheerleader during the 1980s. She knew what it meant.

"Anne? What is it?" James asked as he came down to her aid.

"Our Kimmie is going to be expelled from cheerleading ... tonight ... for something she didn't do."

"What kind of silly nonsense does Veruca mean?" James wanted to know the details of her evil plan so that he and the chaperones will put a stop to it.

"Well, since Kim went against her cheerleading captain, she is now 'elligible' to be kicked out of the team. But look at what it has done for us, Kim's cheer has helped our team accomplish something that hasn't been done in seven years, beat the Tigers and end the streak on their home turf. Not to mention that Veruca's altercation occurred the same time as Ron fumbled the football, nearly causing us to lose the game. Then, she wasn't involved in the victory circle with the other players and cheerleaders, so that's strike two. Now, she's trying to kick Kim out of cheerleading ... for doing the right thing. That's strike three. We must warn the other chaperones quick before Kim gets expelled from cheerleading."

The Marshes and Possibles told the same news to the Stotches and the Broflovskis. They all know that Kim was one of the best cheerleaders ever on the squad. Kicking her out wrongfully would be considered as an outrage of injustice. They looked over the Middleton Cheerleader Code book, the one that Anne keeps at all times. When they approached the Sec. 2, Rule 17 law about kicking a cheerleader off the team for insubordination, they were stunned not by the main rule but its subtext stating the following: The expulsion must be approved by all cheerleading coaches before it is carried out.

All eight chaperones immediately headed out to the rooms of Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Newman, and Mrs. Jackson.

Veruca went to those same three rooms where the cheerleading coaches were staying. The first one that she went to was Mrs. Jackson.

Veruca tried to ask politely, knowing fully aware of the subscript of Sect. 2, Rule 17, "Mrs. Jackson, may I expel Possible from the cheerleading squad, please?"

Mrs. Jackson responded with a stern reply "No, Veruca, you may not, because a) you are failing in your classes, b) most of the cheerleaders do not like you at all, c) you nearly wimped out on us in Game 1 and d) you have a criminal record. So, no you may not expel one of the best cheerleaders we ever had to come through Middleton High."

Veruca was astounded and stunned by this response to her demand and her happy, cute look turned more into a vengeful look. The senior captain started to curse a storm against Mrs. Jackson, "You are nothing more than a fat bitch eating 50 gallons of chocolate ice cream a day. If you will not expel her, then I will by myself because I am a cheerleading captain. And I can do whatever the hell I want." She gave Mrs. Jackson "the finger" and slammed the door in front of her.

Mrs. Jackson then got her cell phone and started to text message James about the events that had just occurred: "I denied her, she gave me the finger" MJ. She pressed send. She then also sent that same text message to the Middleton Principal, Mr. Bobby Conrad, a former U.S. Army Ranger who served his country well in the first Gulf War. Principal Conrad is a nice man and is normally on good terms with a lot of students at Middleton High, but when a few select students get onto his bad side, he is not aftraid to either suspend them or gives the long amounts of detention. He, ironically, was staying in the same hotel as the cheerleaders, coaches, and the chaperones. Principal Conrad, when he confiscates people's cell phones, learned the important aspects of text messaging. So it was not diffficult for Mrs. Jackson to text him what had happened with Veruca. Conrad clenched his two fists into terms of rage, vowing to punch Veruca in the face the next time he comes face-to-face with her.

Veruca then went to Mrs. Newman next. "Please, Mrs. Newman, may I expel Possible from the squad because she did something wrong?" she tried to ask politely.

Mrs. Newman gave her the same response as Mrs. Jackson. "No, Veruca. Kim is one of my best cheerleaders. I think what you are doing is breaching the _subscript _of Sect. 2, Rule 17. You have one of the worst set of morals I've ever seen in a cheerleader. Permission to expel Kim is denied."

Veruca, again, launched a profane-filled tyrade at Mrs. Newman, "Why don't you go ahead, you little bastard? Make me, you son of a bitch. Eat a big bowl of dog shit and die for all I care. You must be one of Possible's little bitches, aren't you. Well, your bullshit about policies will not work on me, you fat bastard. I am the cheerleading captain and I run this team, not you." She gave Mrs. Newman the obscene gesure and slammed the door.

Again, Mrs. Newman texted the message: "I didn't allow her, she cursed me out like a sailor, gave me the finger, and slammed the door on me." The message went out to all of the chaperones and to Principcal Conrad as well. She was really pushing his buttons now, on the very verge of suspension for two school years.

Veruca then came to her final destination, Mrs. Johnson. _Hopefully, my visit with the head coach will be better than those first two harpies_, she thought. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Mrs. Johnson answered in a nice tone "Why, hello Veruca, how are you doing today?"

"Fine," Veruca replied in the polite voice, "May I expel Possible from the squad for violating team rules?"

"No, Veruca" Mrs. Johnson's tone suddenly changed "Kim helped this team in Game 1 with installing a little bit of _school spirit _in those 2,800 fans_, _something that you clearly lacked when it counted the most. Yeah, that's right. _SCHOOL SPIRIT! _Something that you **DID NOT **install within the last 3 minutes of that game. You only seem to care about yourself, that's your problem. You were not there in the victory circle. I don't think you deserve the right to be called the cheerleading captain of the Middleton Mad Dogs."

"You know what" Veruca was saving her biggest insults for Mrs. Johnson "fuck school spirit. You can take that 'Mad Dog School Spirit' shit and shove it up your ass. You son of a bitch, you can go ahead, choke on a cucumber and die. Wanting to keep Possible on the team is bullshit and you know it. That damn red-haired bastard can shove her pom-poms up her own asshole for all I care. I AM going to expel Possible and there is nothing you can do to stop me!!!!!!!!! **JACKASS!**" She angrily gave the finger on both her left and her right hand and, like the other two visits, slammed the hotel door for all to hear.

This was the last straw for Mrs. Johnson. She reached out her cell-phone and read the two text messages from the other assistant coaches. "Veruca has to go MJ" and "Veruca needs to be expelled AN", 15 minutes earlier. Then the two coaches came up to her room and told her what happened with Veruca.

Mrs. Newman proceeded to call up James on his cell.

_AN: Hello? Is this Mr. Possible?_

_Mr. P: This is he._

_AN: We have a problem with Veruca. She just came at our doors and cursed us out._

_Mr. P: So I guess she did not get your permission to expel my Kimmie-cub from the team._

_AN: Nope, but she is going to perform the deed ... herself. She is doing an illegal expulsion, a violation of the Cheerleading Code._

_Mr. P: In other words, my Kimmie-cub is still on the team._

_AN: Correct, Mr. Possible. Veruca only wants to kick Kim off the team because she poses a threat to the cheerleading captain position. We have to kick Veruca not only off the team but also off of school property. She will NEVER occupy that cheerleading captain position ever again. I've also contacted Principal Conrad._

_Mr. P: We already have a plan of getting rid of Veruca. She slashed my Kimmie-cub on the cheek at the game last night and she is going to play._

_AN: Well, Mr. Possible, I'm sorry about what happened to your daughter last night, but this incident was nothing. She back-talked us all out with the "f" word. The most shocking thing that she said to Mrs. Johnson was, and I quote, "f--- school spirit"_

At that moment, James dropped his cell phone onto the hotel carpet. Sure he has heard the "f" word before but NEVER about the Middleton Mad Dog school spirit and teamwork that was the strongest fiber in all of Mad Dog athletics. This confirmed his fears that Veruca was breaking the Mad Dog cheering squad up. He then picked it up.

_Mr. P: What time can we chaperones come on over to your room? We want to get rid of Veruca._

_AN: Around noon. Mrs. Johnson, me, and Mrs. Jackson will drop off 21 of the 23 cheerleaders to South Panola's gym in 15 minutes. Me, Maddie, and Lisa will keep an eye on Veruca. We'll give you a full report about what happened, Mr. Stoppable. Maddie and Lisa hate Veruca's guts as much as they do. She'll bring along a videocamera to record everything. I believe we'll have enough evidence to, probably, expel Veruca from Middleton High once and for all. But we must unleash our anger on Veruca when the time is right. _

_Mr. P: Allright, Mrs. Newman, I hope you know what you're doing._

She hung up.


	26. The Taste of Tears

Setting: in Batesville, Miss., Saturday morning

Time: 8:30am

Kim put on her cheerleading outfit first in the bathroom, followed by Bonnie. All the cheerleaders, now in the away gold uniforms, assembled in the hotel lobby at 8:30.

All 23 cheerleaders piled on into three of the cheerleading buses. They arrived at South Panola's gym at 8:45. They began to do three straight hours of cheerleading practice then have a lunch break followed by another two hours of cheerleading before they can have the rest of the day off to go shopping in Memphis.

As cheerleading practice wore on, the Mad Dog girls did their usual assortment of cheers, handstands, and tumbles for the first three hours of practice. Kim, at usual, was at the very top of her game. Her stamina seemed to be boundless. Some of her cheers were even against Veruca's "rules", like 'Let's Win Mad Dogs'. It seems that her mere presence was bringing up the spirit of the Mad Dog cheer squad.

Veruca was beginning to stumble around as if she was drunk. She struggled quite a bit on the on tumbles. As the lunch break began, the dirty-blonde captain approached her purse for the pink slip, acquired it, and hid it behind her back.

"Possible, come here." Veruca smiled with an evil grin at Kim while she was getting a few grapes and an apple on her plate.

"What do you want this time, Veruca?" Kim demanded to know why Veruca is such in a happy mood today.

"Possible, I understand that you are one of the best cheerleaders on this squad. I also understand that you have been a worthy adversary over the past three years. But now, I have come to give you this." Veruca handed the pink slip, folded up, to Kim.

Kim took one look at the pink slip and unfolded the paper. She screamed so loud that everyone in the gym stopped what they were doing. Bonnie was about to eat her sandwich when she heard Kim's scream.

Bonnie rushed to Kim's aid, "K, K? What is it?" she hurriedly asked. Kim's hand was trembling. It contained the pink slip with the black spot. Bonnie knew what that symbol meant. For the first time in 20 years, a Middleton Mad Dog cheerleader was going to be expelled from the squad.

Veruca cackled wildly in her triumph, then calmed down. "I'm sorry, Kimberly Anne Possible, but because of your insubordination to me, by the order of Section 2, Rule 17 Middleton Cheerleading code, you will be expelled from the Middleton Mad Dog cheerleading squad tonight." She did not know that she was breaking the Code herself.

Kim's eyes started to water "No! No! NOOOOO!!!! This can't be happening! This can't be happening!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!!!!" Her tears flowed endlessly from her emerald eyes as she ran back bawiling to the stands. "How can this be possible?? I haven't done anything wrong. WAAAAAHHH."

Veruca reveled in her latest victory over Kim and lied through the skin of her teeth "All three coaches have approved my permission to terminate your cheerleading career. But not to worry, you will be given a fair democratic trial, Possible. Right now, though, I want to take a picture of your cowardly position on my iPhone." She took out her iPhone and happily snapped a photo of a crying Kim with the camera feature. By now, Kim's tears were touching the gym floor.

"And now, for the coupe de grace." Veruca chuckled. She stuck out her tongue at Kim's now-healed cheek that was still wet with her tears and started to lick on them.

"Oh, yes." She laughed manaically in between licks of Kim's tears. "Your tears of sadness taste yummy in my mouth." Veruca continued to laugh harder and harder while a helpless Kim continued to cry harder and harder. Veruca's continuing taunts and the constant feel of her tongue slowly built up the inner rage within Kim.

Bonnie, who witnessed these horrible scenes of events unfolding right before her eyes, interrupted Veruca's victory by pushing her away from an emotionally-broken Kim onto the gym floor.

"Stop it, you sick bitch. Of all the horrible things that you have done to Kim, this is the worst that I have ever seen. I only want to see you rot in hell, you ungrateful bastard." Bonnie threated then proceeded to make two fists. Bonnie obviously had a 16-pound advantage over Veruca and could knock her down easily with just one punch. The other Mad Dog cheerleaders restrained both Bonnie and Veruca, luckily preventing this already damaging ordeal from becoming worse.

"Rockwaller, you want to join Possible too in expulsion? I have enough pink slips with black spots in here to disqualify this entire squad, except for C and L of course. So any futher objections to my authority? No? Good, now break's over. I want to see my damn cheerleading pyramid in 10 minutes. Now back to your positions, you maggots."

The Mad Dog cheerleaders reluctantly obeyed Veruca's orders and got the dreaded cheerleading pyramid up. However, Bonnie, Sharpay, Caitlin, and Tara carried Kim, who was still crying physically and spiritually, out of the gym at . Even several of the Fringe Cheerleaders, who never take sides, were angered by Veruca's latest sick treatment of Kim. They suffered from the physical demands of her increasingly complex pyramids. Their bodies were all tired out and beaten. At last, it was 2:15. Time for most of the Mad Dog cheerleaders to go to the mall! Veruca then put the next phase of her devious plan in action: sway the Fringe to join on her side to expel Kim from the squad. Sixteen of the cheerleaders piled into two of the three buses to go to the malls in Memphis. The two buses pulled out of the gravel parking lot. While on the bus to Memphis, Veruca thought, in her sick and twisted mind, that the first phase of her plan went extremely well without any incident.

What Veruca did not notice was that while she was belittling Kim and licking her tears, Lisa Silver recorded every single second of the incident on her digital video camera. Mrs. Newman and Maddie were standing right behind her. They left the vacant gym to go to the third bus, where Kim was still crying. Bonnie was still trying to comfort Kim in any way possible. _Damn, she must have gone through at least 80 Kleenexes. Oooh, I want to bitch-slap Veruca so hard that she'll lose all her teeth _she thought to herself as Kim went through discarded tissue after discarded tissue, tears stained on each of them.

Kim could not believe that her three years of hard work on the Mad Dogs squad would end with just a pink slip with a black spot on it.

Mrs. Newman, Lisa, and Maddie approached Kim and her friends. Kim was still sobbing and bawling on the dirt of the parking lot. Discarded tissues were everywhere. Dirt got onto her gold cheerleading dress. Kim, still crying in bursts, looked up and saw the three. She kicked the dirt with her cheerleading shoe as the dirt disintegrated into the chilly air.

Through her tears, she asked "Mrs. Newman? Lisa? Maddie? You've come to humiliate me as well? Look, I've been through enough and I don't deserve to wear this Mad Dog cheering uniform anymore." Kim then let out a huge pool of tears from her eyes.

Mrs. Newman understood what Kim was going through. She responded, "That's nonsense, Kimberly. In fact, you are still on the team and you will be."

Kim, after crying for the past two hours, finally stopped. She wondered why this fact from Mrs. Newman was true. After wiping away an isolated tear, she questioned "Why, Mrs. Newman, do you say that? Veruca told me that all three of the coaches approved my expulsion."

Mrs. Newman laughed to lighten up this somber mood of Kim. She told her "She was lying through your teeth all along. Veruca neglected to mention the first subsection of Rule 2, Section 17. All three of us rejected her proposal for your expulsion because we recognize your talents as a cheerleader and your outstanding sense of morality. The captain had neither of those. She cussed us out. In fact, we have a taped recording from this morning recording my conversation with her." She recorded every single curse word that Veruca said. Kim was not shocked that Veruca would want to kick her out of the team. No, she was shocked because of the lengths that bastard would go through, even cursing out her teachers, in order to achieve that single objective.

Mrs. Newman continued "In other words, what she was trying to do to kick you out was totally illegal to the Code, because she not only failed to get the permission of all three of her coaches but she also exceeded her authority as captain by acting on her own power. _She _is the one who's breaking all the rules. She even told Mrs. Johnson to f--- school sprit right in her face."

This comment converted Kim's feelings from that of sadness to that of complete hatred. She clenched her fists with rage. _I am going to get that bitch and punch her in the damn face. _This ignited the longstanding fire of courage and determination, those very same feelings that helped her fellow Mad Dogs win Game 1. She was now going those three years of rage out on Veruca.

Bonnie, Tara, and the other cheerleaders overheard Kim's conversation with Mrs. Newman. She was relieved that her friend was now feeling better. She was also angry that Veruca was the one, not Kim, breaking all the rules. She was even more shocked to find out that Veruca used the f-word to describe school sprit, the very same Mad Dog spirit that the other cheerleaders were fighting for. Worst of all, she's the captain of the team.

Lisa then came up through the discarded tissue paper to confront Kim. "Kim, I know that you're a good cheerleader and that you have a whole future ahead of you. For instance, I can see you cheerleading in your senior year, then in college, then in the NFL. You're also one of the brightest cheerleaders we've ever had to go through Middleton High. I can also see you as a scientist, lawyer, or a doctor. That mean captain is going to get a taste of her own medicine. In fact, I recorded the entire incident on my camera. We're also going to show it to the other cheerleading coaches. We are going to especially show it to your dad. We're now part of a conspiracy to destroy Veruca's career as a cheerleader. By Game 2, you will never see her ever again."

Kim, now totally tear-free, was in a lighter mood. She hugged her cheerleading coach, followed by Bonnie, Lisa, Sharpay, Tara, and Caitlin. They had stuck with her through all these years of Veruca's oppressive reign as cheerleading captain. She was now part of the plot to destroy Veruca and her iron grip once and for all.

"Thanks, thanks for your help." Kim now exerted tears of happiness and joy instead of sorrow and bitter humiliation. Bonnie sighed as she got another box of Kleenex ready. Kim, Mrs. Newman and the other five cheerleaders went back on the third bus to the hotel. Mrs. Newman determined that going to Memphis would be a bad idea today because Veruca was already there and that Kim had already gone through enough. She would save Kim's shopping trip to Memphis tomorrow afternoon. As they went back to the hotel, Kim thought in her mind what life would be like without Veruca tormenting her day and night. She felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. _No, _Kim thought to herself, _we must strip Veruca of her captain position first, then the school board shall determine her fate._

Although Veruca doesn't know it yet, even more forces were starting to build up against her.


	27. An Afternoon at the Mall

Setting: Memphis, Tennessee

Time: Saturday, 3:30pm

After a long day of cheerleading, the Mad Dog Cheerleaders were finally taking a much-needed rest and relaxation in Memphis.

"Remember, Middleton High Policy and the Middleton Cheerleading Code states that you can spend up to a maximum of $200 dollars while on a competition. If the policy is violated, even though the cheerleader can still participate in the competion, they will immediately be sent back to the hotel and their shopping privileges will be revoked. No questions asked." Mrs. Jackson warned. Then she asked in a calmer voice So, where do you girls would like to shop first?"

"THE MALL, THE MALL, THE MALL" the Mad Dog Cheerleaders had their first dibs on the largest mall that they will find in Memphis. This also included Veruca, London, Camille, and their newfound allies in Carm Spats and Sandi Griffin. Once they got to the largest mall in town, Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Johnson reminded them about Middleton High's policy on excessive shopping. For the next few hours, they let the girls shop whatever they want as long as it was under $200 dollars. They would have to be back by 6:00 so that they could have dinner at the hotel. Luckily, Kim and the remaining six cheerleaders were at the hotel.

This rule, though, did not apply to Veruca and her cronies as she put her next phase of kicking Kim out of Middleton High cheerleading for good.

The blond-haired captain turned to the first two co-horts on her left, "Camille, Carm, search the upper levels of the mall and buy me the most expensive items that you see."

"Like, yes, captain." They left when Veruca then turned to her right, "London, Sandi, search the lower levels and do what Camille and Carm are doing."

"Yes, captain." London and Sandi split off from Veruca to cover the lower level of the mall.

Then she said to herself, "I'm going to attack from the middle." She gazed up above the store sign's name: Stupid Spoiled Brat Store, or the SSB as its fans call the store. Images of that heiress were everywhere. Among all of the stores that Veruca had been to in the 17 and a half years on this Earth, this was her most favorite. There, she would often socialize with other spoiled brats like herself and talk about the latest gossip of the heiress while buying anything that had the heiress' likeliness on it at outrageous prices. Business at the SSB, though, was very slow due to the downturns in the economy. Yet, Veruca could not resist buying anything from that store. After socializing and making "friends" with a couple of spoiled brats, Veruca then proceeded to buy the latest items that the heiress had to offer.

When she came out of that store, she bought a lot of unnecessary clothes. Some of it contained images of the heiress, and some of the images and words written on the articles of clothing were so shocking that Mrs. Possible would faint if Kim were to be caught dead wearing them. Some of the skirts that Veruca bought were so short that James would ground her daughter for a year if he caught her wearing them. Altogether. It cost about $780.54, plus tax. All she had to do was to whip out her credit card, and slide it underneath the card reader. Without knowing it, she had already added that $680.54 to the growing amount of debt the Salts owe to the government.

London, Camille, Carm, and Sandi caught up with Veruca in the mall's atrium first. She was sitting there on a bench with the latest items that she got from the SSB. The four spoiled shopaholics bought the smallest but most expensive items in the mall, especially jewelry. This way, Mrs. Johnson would not notice that the five girls were breaking school policy. It was now 5:00pm

Veruca gave an evil sneer and smiled "Good, now, lets load this expensive stuff in the van and hide it underneath the seats, so that no one will notice." The other four girls did so. They went out to the mall parking lot where they spotted the two buses. They hid the expensive gifts underneath the seat.

As for the receipts, Veruca decided to hide them in her purse so that she would not be involved in the incident.

As 6:00pm dawned on the girls and the bright sun set in the west, the Mad Dog cheerleaders returned to the buses. They took the 50-minute trip back to Batesville so that they could have dinner.

Kim's cheerleading expulsion trial was at 9 pm so Veruca had to deliver the gifts to each of the Fringe cheerleaders' hotel rooms within a 2-hour timeframe. As the Fringe cheerleaders received a knock on their doors, they got the articles of clothing of the heiress' image from Veruca. The Fringe cheerleaders took one look at the clothes, then threw them away in the proper garbage cans. They know that the bribes for Veruca won't work on them. They have some of the strongest and deepest morals ever seen in a Mad Dog cheering squad, for some of them were involved in their community. They come from different faiths, especially among the Baptist and Presbyterian congregations. They knew it in their hearts that their faith, concern and well-being of Kim, and the Mad Dog school spirit was more important than a series of desperate bribes by a cheerleading captain. They would not expel one of the best cheereleaders to ever hold a pair of pom-poms in Mad Dog history. They want to see Veruca expelled as much as the chaperones, Kim and her friends, and the other cheerleading coaches.

Veruca, meanwhile, was in her fourth floor hotel room. She was in a confident mood that the giving of clothes with the heiress on them to the Fringe worked perfectly. She then looked out the window and gazed at her iPhone with the photo of a crying Kim taken earlier in the day. The debutante cannot wait to see the look on Kim's face when they vote to expel her from the squad.

She did not even notice the hotel maid with the trash bag carrying the discarded suggestive clothes.

Veruca looked up the clock. It was now 8:50pm. She put on her cheerleading uniform and on the cheerleading skirt was an etched patch with the letter "C" on it, denoting her as the four-year captain of the squad. As she left her hotel room, she mistakenly cracked the door and left her purse behind. This would be the most critical flaw in her plan to expel Kim from the squad because the evidence of her breaking Middleton School policy and the Cheerleading Code about not spending more than $200 laid in the SSB receipt, which was still in her purse. This also included the receipts from the other four spoiled cheerleaders.

Mrs, Johnson curiously walked into Veruca's hotel room and discovered the receipts. She was in a state of shock of how much Veruca spent to bribe her fellow cheerleaders. _She broke school policy. Kim's in real danger. I gotta warn James and the other chaperones. _She took the receipts and left a crack in the hotel room door. It would be like that she never went in at all.

The conspiracy against Veruca was at its zenith as Kim's expulsion trial began.


	28. Kim's Trial Preparations and Deceptions

Setting: Batesville, Mississippi

Time: 7:00pm

Kim was sitting on her hotel bed, still in her cheering uniform. She knew her expulsion trial was coming in two hours, but she also knew it was Veruca's last stand to preserve her cheer captain status. Kim was now part of the plot to expose Veruca as a fraud and as a disgrace to the Mad Dog school spirit. Still, she was worried as she sang the blues on her harmonica. She still had an isolated tear in her eye as the melodious music of the harmonica seemed to clear her mind from what went on earlier in the day.

As she continued to play her harmonica, Bonnie knocked on the hotel room door. The harmonica ceased momentarily.

"Hey K, how you holding up?" she asked.

"I'm doing fine, B. I'm just wondering what life would be like without Veruca to kick me around anymore." Kim calmly answered. "I just wonder what's going to happen to the squad when Veruca gets kicked out in a couple of days."

"My guess is that we would have to do an emergency election to bring in a new captain and new co-captains. Remember, Veruca isn't in this alone. Her two harpies are also invoved in all this as well," Bonnie reminded her long-time friend about the sins of Camille and London. "Well, let's go down to dinner. I'm so hungry." Bonnie felt the rumbling of her stomach. Kim jumped off the bed, put her harmonica back in her knapsack and came down to dinner.

Time: 8:30pm

As Kim's cheerleading trial neared, Mr. Possible needed to find some way to decieve Veruca from knowing that _she's _the one in trouble, not Kim. The answer lay right in front of him: his daughter.

"Hey, Kimmie-cub, ready to humiliate Veruca in front of her peers and expose her for the fool that she is?" he asked his daughter

"Sure thing, Dad." Kim was more than confident enough to finally expose her long-time enemy for the traitor that she is, saying the "f" word to describe the Mad Dog Spirit was the most offensive thing ever written in the Code.

"Now, what we are going to do is to attack Veruca in two waves. The first wave will be at your 'trial'. When she tries to convict you and that you are acquited, we will bust in and interrupt her trial to expose her for some of the crimes against the Code she has committed within the last couple of days. She will be demoted from her captain position to a normal cheerleader, unable to wield any influence on the squad. Then, tomorrow night, we'll attack her with even more true accusations, including the incident this morning, in the second wave. She will be officialy kicked off the team and her two co-captains will be demoted. She will also be suspended for two full school years, so you would not have to worry about her anymore. So that's the plan."

"Thanks Dad, thanks for all that you have done for me." Kim now embraced her father with hugs and tears.

"But first, we must deceive her. We must put her into a position that she thinks that you are thoroughly defeated and humiliated. Think of all the times that blond-haired brat has humiliated you." Kim's father reminded her to put this phase of the plan into effect so that the conspiracy wouldn't be revealed.

Kim thought back to the time that she got the knee injury three years ago during that competition for cheer captain. She thought back to the day that Veruca called her the "red-headed coward". She thought back to all the abuse inflicted by Veruca, including the feeling of her tongue when she licked her tears. This ripped open Kim's carefully closed-up deep emotional scars. Her emerald eyes were beginning to start the waterworks. Kim cried like she never cried before.

_Heh, this will fool Veruca. _Mr. Possible thought to himself. _This'll buy us some time before we march in with the evidence to get rid of that debutante cheerleader from her captain position._

Time: 9:00pm

Kim was still crying when Veruca, London, and Camille came into the door. She was holding a pair of police-issued handcuffs. Besides the SSB store, she also went to a goth store and bought handcuffs for Kim to tie her up while she's on trial.

"Possible, it's time for your judgement." Veruca chucked evily as she slapped the cuffs on Kim's hands behind her back. "But, first, another photo to add to your humiliation on my iPhone." She took a photo of a cuffed and crying Kim and added it to her category of photos simply titled: Possible crying like a little baby.

She marched unceremonously down the hall. Outside Kim's crying exterior lay deep inside a courageous interior that was fooling a dumbfounded Veruca. _She's falling for our trap, _the inner Kim thought. For right now, though, the outer Kim of handcuffs, defeat and humiliation was exposed to Veruca.

Veruca cannot believe what she was witnessing. _After three years, I will finally get rid of that Possible bitch once and for all. My position is safe._

Then, they came to the hotel's meeting room where the other 21 cheerleaders were waiting. Veruca assumed her place at the top of the podium. London and Camille were sitting on either side of Veruca. Kim sat down on the chair labeled "Expulsion Chair" denoting the cheerleader that was going to be kicked off the team. To make sure Kim wouldn't get away, Carm and Sandi put handcuffs on her feet and attached the ends of the cuffs to the legs of the chairs.

For Kim, there was no escape. The trial was beginning.

Time: 9:15pm

Location: 4th floor, Veruca Salt's room.

As Mrs. Johnson walked around the hallway corridor, she noticed that the door to Veruca's room was cracked open. She peered in and noticed that Veruca's Prada purse was still there. The head cheerleading coach opened it up and her face turned from that of curiosity into shock. Mrs. Johnson has discovered the receipts that Veruca, London and Camille accumulated at the mall this afternoon. _She's violated the Code's rules on shopping and school policy too. Man, how low can you go, Veruca?, _she talked to herself. She hoarded the receipts from Veruca's purse, closed it up and cracked the door. It was as if she never gone in at all

_I gotta tell Mr. Possible about this, _she now had a confident look to herself.

The final pieces of the puzzle were put in place for Veruca's degrading demotion.


	29. The Cheerleading Trial

"Kimberly Anne Possible, you have been charged with violating Section 2, Rule 17: Part A in the Middleton Cheerleading Code: talking back to your superior cheering officer during an athletic event and Section 2, Rule 17; Part B: performing a rouge cheer against your superior cheerleading officer. How do you plead?" Veruca read the sheet of paper in front of her as the expulsion ceremony began.

"Guilty on both counts, Veruca" Kim responded through her tears. She was now bound by handcuffs on her feet and on her hands on the chair. _The first phase of Veruca's downfall is almost complete, _she thought to herself underneath her vulnerable exterior.

"All righty then, Possible. Prosecution, proceed" Veruca demanded to Camille, the primary "prosecutor" of Kim's cheerleading career.

Camille presented her case first: "At approximately 9:39 pm on Friday night, we were down 23 to 21, with 3:09 remaining in that game when one Mrs. Kimberly Possible grabbed a set of pom-poms and mouth the words to Veruca, and I quote 'Screw you' and proceeded to do a cheer that was against the captain's orders. You took all the glory, and the win, from the captain. Therefore, I believe that since you went against your cheerleading caption, you deserve to be expelled from this squad for good." She made a quick closing remark, "See to it that Mrs. Possible gets what she deserves: expulsion from the squad permanately!"

Kim reacted with even more weeping and sobbing, "It's all true, IT'S ALL TRUE!!!!!!! WAAAAHHHH!!!!!!! I performed an illegal cheer for you Veruca, please forgive me!! PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEEE!!!!!!" All of her outburst of tears were unleashed. Of course, this was all a setup to crush Veruca as a cheering captain for holding an _illegal _expulsion ceremony that has not been approved by all three cheerleading coaches.

The defense, led by Bonnie, presented their case. Bonnie was careful in her choice of words so that her cover wouldn't be blown: "My friend here has stuck by me ever since we were in preschool. And we shared our ambition of cheerleading ever since we were in the first grade. We have stuck by each other through the good times and the bad times." She gave an angry look at Veruca. "But the reason why Kim did that 'rogue' cheer with 3:09 remaining in Game 1 was to provide school spirit to those 2800 fans that were present on our side. Yes, that's right. SCHOOL SPIRIT!! Something that every Mad Dog cheerleader, and I mean EVERY Mad Dog cheerleader must show during the game." She gave another angry look to Veruca, then turned to the Fringe cheerleaders. "Do what is right in your heart. Do not listen to what the three captains say. Follow what God gave you and see to it that my longtime red-haired friend, a fellow cheeleader, stays on the team"

Veruca then turned to Camille and whispered in her teeth. _"Make sure that the verdict reads guilty, you got that." _Camille gave a quick nod and guided the Fringe Cheerleaders out. Camille then whispered to Carm and Sandi to make sure that every verdict read 'Guilty' on it, period.

As the jury of the 15 Fringe Cheerleaders were dismissed to another meeting room next door. It was the rule for the other cheerleaders who had stuck with Kim or Veruca not to vote. Thirteen voted to keep her on the team. Only two disagreed, Carm and Sandi. As the other 13 cheerleaders left the door to prepare to tell their non-guilty verdict, Carm and Sandi remained behind and tore off the top half of the thirteen notecards that said "Not Guilty". Sandi popped open the trash can lid, tore them up, and threw them away. She then wrote with a permanent marker replacing it with "Guilty" on the bottom half. The other 13 Fringe cheerleaders came back into the room. They were surprised to see the words 'Guilty' on it. However, Crystal Appleton quickly discovered the "Not Guilty" verdicts in the trash can, all torn up.

"You idiots!" Maddie Fitzpatrick exclaimed. "Do you realize what you have done?"

"Nope," Carm gave a calm response "and we don't care anyways. The 'Not Guilty' verdicts are all torn up. I am the foreman. and there's nothing you can do about it." She gave an evil laugh very similar to that anyways."

"Congratulations, you are going to get rid of one of the best cheerleaders in Middleton High history, both on and off the field. You are also getting rid of some of our school spirit as well. Well, good luck when we get our asses kicked by the Tigers in Game 2." Maddie angrily warned Carm.

"Wait a minute," Bebe realized this as she looked at the shredded 'Not Guilty' verdicts. "This whole stunt was planned by Veruca all along, wasn't it. She had to go 'judge,jury, and executioner' on Kim. Guess what, you will never kick Kim off the team, and that's final."

Camille then gave a knock on the door, "Is there anything wrong in there?"

"There is something ..." Bebe was about to explain this entire sitch, but Sandi silenced her.

"Nope, nothing's wrong, we're coming out right now." Then Sandi gave a low, growling, dictatiorial voice "Aren't we!!!"

The Fringe girls were reluctantly silent, but knew that the time was almost ripe to show Veruca the errors of her ways.

The jury now entered the meeting room.

Kim, still feet and handcuffed, was holding hands with Bonnie behind her back, preparing for the 'worst'.

"So, foreman" Veruca confidently asked Carm, "What is the verdict."

Bebe tried to whisper desperately to Kim, "Kim, you don't understand ---"

Carm proudly read "We find the defendant guilty on both counts of violation the Middleton Cheer Code for insubordination and performing a rouge cheer."

"NNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" wailed Kim from as the cuffs rattled on the legs on the feet, struggling to break free but couldn't as she realized that the chair was bolted down. Her tears seemed to be neverending.

"Heh, heh, first of all, I must add you to my iPhone photo album." She immediately took a picture of the crying cheerleader and continued to add it to her "Possible Crybaby list".

"Your last stand has failed you. Now, by the power invested in me as the Middleton Head Cheerleading Captain, I hereby expel Kimberley Anne Possible from the Middeton Cheer Squad effective immediately.

As she raised her fist in mid-air, she thought to herself _I've got you now Possible, you piece of shit. _Before her fist came down, the meeting doors swung open.

It was James Possible, Anne Possible, Mrs. Johnson, the other adult chaperones, and the assistant cheerleading coaches.

"VERUCA DARLING SALT, YOUR REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER." Mr. Possible declared.


	30. The Captain's Inquisition

**Out of comic hilarity, the more severe curse words spewed from Veruca's mouth will be replaced with symbols, like people see in comic strips. That way, this fanfic wouldn't go from T to M. **

**As for the mention of the "Seven Words You Cannot Say On TV", it is the work of the late George Carlin. His comedy will be missed. **

As Mr. Possible and the army of adult chaperones marched in, Veruca demanded to know, "What the hell is meaning of this?"

Kim cried out with joy, "Daddy, you're here. I would like to hug you but, as you can see, I have been cuffed unfairly by Veruca. I'm still on the team!"

"WHAT! My Kimmie-Cub is cuffed up??" James furiously yelled. "That's it, you blond-haired spawn of Satan, you have gone too far!!"

James took out a lockpick that he always carries with him when his work office was locked and freed Kim from the cuffs.

"No! NO! NOOO!!! This is not happening. Possible was supposed to be off the team. She violated the Code's policy on insubordination to the captain." Veruca cried out as her series of royal tantrums began.

Mrs. Johnson finally stepped forward to present Veruca with the evidence. "Well, while you were trying to convict Kim of violating the code, you _did not _get the approval of this expulsion from me or from Mrs. Jackson or Mrs. Newman."

Lisa from the 'jury box' stood up. She finally stared Veruca in the face and accused her, "Yes, and not only that, we voted not guilty when Carm and Sandi tore up our verdicts and threw them away. Veruca was setting up this _illegal _expulsion trial just to frame Kim. All she wanted out of this was revenge."

Veruca was just dumbstruck at all of these true accusations. "All of these are wild lies. Possible was the one who broke the Code. She deserves to be expelled!!"

To make Veruca's sitch even worse, the crying and humiliated facade of Kim that Veruca knew was replaced by the courageous, headstrong and determined Kim who led her team to that Game 1 victory.

"That's right, Veruca. While you tried to have me expelled for the breaking of the Code, like they said, you broke the Code yourself and acted as your own power. In other words, you clearly disobeyed the teachers that you were supposed to follow. It is a clear violation of Section 2, Rule 17, Subscript B. So, in other words, you should be the one that's on trial."

Veruca growled and grinded her chipped and small teeth through her tears . "Possible, you son of a bitch, I'll get you for this."

James was shocked at the type of profanity that Veruca used. "I do not want that type of potty-mouth around my daughter. I just hope that Mr. and Mrs. Salt will ground you for these despicable actions."

Veruca just cackled. "Are you kidding, Mr. Possible, I hold my parents like a thumb. They do whatever I say and command and they always give me everything I want, so grounding me is out the question."

Kim grew even more angry at Veruca, "I hope your parents go bankrupt so that you'll be living on the streets. Your mink coats that you always wear to school, your pink heels that cost about $1,000, the way that you strut around as if 'you're all that', your short skirts that are so shocking that it even made my mom faint at one time, and your iron hand oppression of the cheer squad: All of this will come to an end. And there is nothing you can do about it."

Veruca's mood changed to 'pissed off'. "Oh yeah, well I'll sue you. My parents have plenty of money and you don't want to screw around with my army of lawyers. I'll sue everyone's asses into the ground, the Possibles, the Rockwallers, the Cookes, and the Queens. They will lose all of their money in all their cases, and they will have to work for me at my palace mansion, and they WILL submit and bow to that heiress and declare that every word that says from her mouth is true."

James was even more shocked, for he was a very devout Baptist and deeply involved in the First Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, and bowing to a false idol like the heiress was something that proved to be a blasphemy against God.

James drew even further his rage against Veruca. "You hellspawn, I hope you die and rot in Hell. You have committed sins as high as the heavens. I hope God does not show mercy upon you, you daughter of Satan."

Enraged by James' religious outbursts, Veruca let out a obscenity-filled tyrade that was commonly associated with "Seven Words that You Cannot Say on TV" by George Carlin. "Well, James, you can go ahead and **#*$ and die. Possible, you are nothing more than a ^$#*&$^!#% *&!%#$%&!?/~$. Mrs. Johnson, you are a *#&*(&$!*. Everyone will worship the harlot and prostrate to her. You will also *$?#!* to her." She also began to blaspheme God. She continued to shout out obscene-laced profanies that were so offensive that it caused Anne and Sharon to faint for 10 minutes.

James, with quick thinking, revived his wife. Randy quickly recovered Sharon from her deep spell.

Kim, on the sight of seeing her mom faint after Veruca's barrage of obscenities and blasphemy, pushed that spoiled brat to the ground, then helped her mother up.

"Veruca, you have done enough damage as it is to the team, and now you're shooting off curse words. You have been a thorn in my side for long enough. It's time to end your reign as the cheering captain." Kim demanded as she waved her hands over Anne.

"Oh yeah? Who's going to make me?" Veruca sneereed.

"I WILL!!" thundered Mrs. Johnson. She appeared between Randy and Gerald. "What is the meaning of this Veruca," She held a list of receipts that she held in her hand.

Vercua gasped "You, you found out??"

"I think I'm onto your little plan. You've been trying to bribe my girls with your clothing and expensive jewelry from that slut store! Haven't you? You were trying to do this so that you could kick Kim off the team. Well, your plan failed. Kim stays on the team."

"But, I was buying those gifts for ... Uh-oh!" Veruca now realized that _she's _the one in a deep sitch.

"All right." Mrs. Johnson exclaimed. "I have had enough with your exploits, Salt!"

"What?" Veruca looked dazed and confused. "What are you trying to do, Mrs. Johnson?"

"Something I should have done three years ago." Mrs. Johnson replied in an low growling tone.

"Veruca Darling Salt, you have violated the following rules of the Code:

Section 1, Rule 18: Inflicting minor bodily harm on a Fellow Cheerleader.

Section 2, Rule 17: Subsection A: Performing an illegal expulsion of a Fellow Cheerleader without the consent of the Coaches.

and

Section 2, Rule 30: Bribing your fellow Cheerleaders for Gifts and spending over $200 in shopping, which is also against Middleton school policy.

For these crimes, by the power that is invested in me as the Head Coach of the Middleton Mad Dog Cheering Squad, your cheerleading captain status is hereby revoked and you are to be demoted to scrub cheerleader for the rest of the series. You will also be suspended from school for 2 months. Mr. Stotch, why don't you 'do the honors'."

Being a scrub cheerleader was the second-worst position a Mad Dog only to expulsion. Scrub cheerleaders, usually the sophomores and freshman, have to give their superiors the food for after the game. They also have to put up the banners before the game and take them down after the game. It was the worst position Veruca has been in in her life.

Chris, holding a pair of scissors, gladly relplied, "Sure Mrs. Johnson, with pleasure." Chris proceeded to cut off a part of Veruca's cheerleading skirt, the area that had the patch with the letter "C" at the bottom, denoting that she was the captain. To Veruca, the scissors felt like a butcher knife cutting through her stone-cold heart. The discarded "C" patch was tossed to Mrs. Johnson.

As the degradation ceremony continued, she threw the worst tantrum of her 17-year old life, "WAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'M NO LONGER THE CAPTAIN?? THIS ISN'T FAIR!!!! THIS JUST ISN'T FAIR!!!!!!!!! YOU LITTLE $&*?!#%#$!!!!!! I AM SUPPOSED TO BE THE CAPTAIN! I AM SUPPOSED TO BE RESPECTED AND LOVED BY ALL!!!!!! AND NOW ... AND NOW, IT'S ALLLL GOOOONNNNNEE!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! *&$*$()!!!!!" She turned her full rage stare on Kim and her friends, "I WILL GET YOU, POSSIBLE!!!!!!! I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS!!!!!"

"Mr. Malone," Mrs. Johnson then turned to the former bodyguard-turned-Sports Info Director, "you, Mr. Marsh, and Mr. Stotch escort Veruca back to her room."

Mr. Malone, Randy, and Chris did so as they had the arduous task of dragging a screaming and cursing a now ex-cheerleading captain back to her room, isolated from her two remaining friends.

_And this is just Round 1, Veruca _Kim said to herself, now confident that her reign of captain is over and that she would now be taking orders from a new cheer captain for the first time in three years, _and Round 2 is going to hit you even harder. _Kim hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be either Camille or London, for they had been friends with Veruca for almost 13 years and mimicked almost all of her behavior. She hoped that it would be Sharpay, for she had a far higher sense of morals, intelligence and school spirit than either one of those two freaks.

"According to the code, since the captain position is now vacant," Mrs. Johnson decreed "a temporary captain will get that position for one game based on seniority, and the new temporary captain is .... "

Kim crossed her fingers for Sharpay.

"Camille Leon. The new senior co-captain to take her place is Sharpay Evans. Elections will be held on the day after Game 2."

Kim's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe this. It feels like that she has been thrown out of the frying pan into the fire. _Camille has been around Veruca for 13 years. Why did Mrs. Johnson choose her? _she thought to herself as she pinched the bridge of her nose to express her displeasure.

Camille was excited about this turn of events and, in her tearful thick Valley Southern Accent, exclaimed "This is like, so, like the greatest day of my life. I am, like, proud of this. Like, thank you Mrs. Johnson, thank you Mad Dogs, thank you all of my, like, friends."

Kim rolled her eyes and gave a deep sigh and whispered, "Oh please." She knew that Camille was plotting something, but she can't quite put a finger on it.

Bonnie, although relieved that Kim is staying on the time, was also in a state of shock that Veruca's right-hand woman would be the temporary captain. She also wanted Sharpay to assume that position. She knew that a changing of the guard would be coming soon.

While all of this was going on, John and Felix were watching TV all day long in their hotel room. Felix was planning up his stat programs on his laptop for the upcoming Game 2 when he heard muffled screaming coming down from the hallway.

"Hey John, can you check it out?" Felix asked as he was setting up his program.

"Sure thing, Felix." John answered. He peered out into the first floor hallway, leaving the door cracked. This is where he caught his first, and last, glimpse of Veruca Darling Salt.

Veruca was still screaming, shouting blasphemies against God, and kicking as Mr. Malone, Mr. Stotch, and Mr. Marsh were dragging the now ex-captain to her fourth floor room. The last glimpse that John saw of that brat was when the three chaperones opened up a door leading to the stairwell. He never saw her again.

Felix called back into the room, still on his bed. "Something tells me that Veruca isn't going to cheerlead for quite a while."

John went to his bed, "That was this Veruca Salt that Bonnie told me about?" he asked

Felix confirmed, "The very same. That bossy butthole has pissed the cheerleaders, and management, off enough. It's about time that she got a taste of her own medicine."

.

As the meeting adjourned, the chaperones and the rest of the cheerleaders went back to their respective hotel rooms.

Kim, now in her hotel room, grabbed her harmonica out and played it for the next 20 minutes. She had been through a lot from Veruca licking her tears to her near-expulsion trial. She needed that music of the harmonica to soothe her soul, which was tired and exhausted.

Bonnie knocked on the hotel door in order to catch her friend's attention. "Hey K, glad to be on the team?"

"Yep, B. I'm at least glad that we don't have to take orders from Veruca anymore." Kim responded in a cheerful manner as she put her harmonica back.

"I'm also glad, K, that we don't have to do her horrific pyramids." Bonnie shuddered, knowing how physically demanding and impossible it was to go through her cheering pyramid schemes. She had a cut on her leg a couple of months ago when Veruca stood on top of Bonnie and the pyramid collapsed. She still felt those cuts from her irregular fingernails on the back of her leg.

Both cheerleaders took off their uniforms and put on their pajamas. The two friends began to stretch and yawn.

_Damn, its been a long day, and its only Saturday. I hope Monday comes soon._

James and Wanda came into the hotel room.

"I love you, Kimmie-cub. Good night." James kissed his young, headstrong daughter on the cheek.

"I love you, Bon-bon, Good night." Wanda replied and did the same. Bonnie reminded to herself _Please, don't call me Bon-Bon, Mom._

Bonnie and Kimmie turned off the lights as they fell asleep. James and Wanda closed the door slowly as to not disturb them.

Mr. Malone guarded the door to room 407. He made sure that neither London nor Camille can communicate with their fallen captain. Veruca was no longer throwing her tantrums in her pillow. She was now losing her voice from all the screaming and cursing that she spewed out of her mouth for the last three hours.

_Damn. I lost my captain position, no thanks to Possible and her stupid bitch friends. GRRRRRR!! If there was some way I could get back at them, something so drastic that it could help me get my captain position back. But I need the help of L and C in order to make this happen. _Veruca talked to herself in the middle of her sleep. She then woke her blue eyes up and spotted the discarded handcuffs that were used earlier to restrain Kim and that they were near the bathroom.

This gave an evil idea in Veruca's mind, so evil that it could destroy not only Kim's cheerleading career, but also the cheerleading careers of her friends.

Yet, that same idea would also bring an unexpected risk to Veruca as well.


	31. A Peaceful Sabbath Until

As Kim woke up from her slumber, she rubbed her eyes, got up from her bed and opened the windows. It was a dreary Sunday morning at 6:45am, as Kim could see grey clouds eveywhere. Some meterologist was predicting a strong cold front with thunderstorms to sweep through North Mississippi late tomorrow night.

_Hopefully, the Mad Dogs would go up 2 games to 0 and get the hell out of here before it gets really nasty. _Kim thought to herself.

Bonnie woke up 15 minutes after her as she stretched and yawned. "Wow, it's pretty bleak and bland outside, K." she said, knowing that a good cup of industrial strength coffee would wake her up.

Kim groaned "Ya think, B?"

Anne knocked on the door to tell them to come down for breakfast. Kim and Bonnie followed Anne to the stairwell where the other cheerleaders, excluding Camille and Veruca, were waiting for them in the hotel's restaurant. As Bonnie drank her cup of coffee, she noticed John with two cups of coffee and a plate of sausages and bacon.

"Hey, K, let's sit by John. He seems to be in a happy mood today, despite the obvious fact that it's cloudy." Bonnie suggested.

Kim agreed "Good idea, B."

"Hey Kim, hey Bonnie, what's up?" John invited Kim and Bonnie to the table. Bonnie sat beside John while Kim sat on the opposite side of the booth.

"John, you look mighty chipper today. All that caffeine must be going in your system." Kim remarked at the two cups of coffee that he was currently consuming.

"Yep, sure is. I gotta keep awake because Sundays are always my coffee day." John rapidly affirmed. "So where do y'all go to church?"

"First Baptist Church of Hattiesburg for both of us," Bonnie responded "How bout you, John?"

"Me? Well, I go to Holy Savior Catholic Church in Clinton." John acknowledged. "I'm Catholic. My parents were Catholic, my grandparents were Catholic, well ... you get the idea. I have a lot of Baptist friends and some Methodist friends, too."

"Well, changing topics, I heard that a line of thunderstorms are coming for late Monday night." Kim then laughed, "I hope our game doesn't get rained out."

"Yeah, hopefully." John took another sip of coffee. It was now 8:30. Sunday services for the FBC of Batesville were at 10:15 while Mass at St. Mary's was at 10:30.

"I'm gonna go with the Marshes to St. Mary's and, let me guess, you're gonna go to the FBC in Batesville." John said to the two cheerleaders. "then I think we should meet over at Western Sizzlin for lunch. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like a winner to me," Kim affirmed. "Hope to see ya there at Western Sizzlin at noon."

"Well, we'd better get ready" Bonnie added in chuckling "don't wanna go to church in pajamas, now do we."

All three laughed hard.

Veruca, meanwhile, was still sitting on her hotel bed. She hasn't attended religious services in six years. Nope, not since the time that she stole from the collection plate in church and spending it on lavish items with the heiress' image on it. Not since the time that she drew an image of devil horns with a permanent marker ... on the Bible. Not since she replaced the hymnals with gossip tabloid magazines. The clincher that got her kicked out of FBC Hattiesburg was that she wore a mini-skirt that had blatant and offensive messages against God on it. The skirt that Veruca wore was so horrible that about thirty elderly parishoners fainted upon just looking at it. Because of all the evil that Veruca had done in the sight of the Lord, the pastor banned her and the Salt family from attending religious services for life. The only "little-g god" that she worships now was that heiress. She spent her entire Sunday, her extra pairs of handcuffs in hand, trying to think of a plan to reinstate herself as the captain of the Mad Dog cheer squad _and _to get rid of Kim from the squad for good.

She had heard of the "swirlie" at Middleton High, when two strong people dunk a weaker opponent upside-down in a toilet and constantly flush it as a means of bullying. Of course, neither Veruca nor London or Camille have the strength to lift Kim, Bonnie, or her friends upside down in a toilet. Then, she thought of Carm and Sandi. Carm weighed around 150 pounds and had tons of muscle on her arms and the same with Sandi. This gave her the following idea:

_If I want to be reinstated as the cheer captain of this squad, Carm and Sandi will give Possible's friends swirlies. The friends would be handcuffed first, then placed upside down by those two brutes over the bathroom toilet and Camille will flush it. London will record every single second of it. I will offer them leniency if they not only tell Mrs. Johnson to reinstate my position as the captain but also bow to the heiress. But if they don't, the swirlies will continue until I will force them to convince that Possible is not a part of my team. And when I come into Possible's room, she would be rejected by those who were once considered to be her friends. Yes, it's all falling into place. _

Just as she was thinking up of her payback against Kim, Camille knocked on the door.

"So, like, how are you holding up. V?" Camille called out to Veruca.

"Camille, I have a perfect plan to get back at Possible for costing me my captain position. All it involves is you, me, London, Carm, Sandi, handcuffs, and a toilet." Veruca eagerly chuckled.

"Oh, right, Veruca. The, like, classic swirlie. Yeah, I've, like, heard of that prank before. I also, like, heard that Carm and Sandi have enough strength to overpower Possible. So when do you think we should, like, strike?" Camilla listened in on the "Swirlie" plan.

Veruca detailed out her plan "At midnight, when everyone is asleep. We'll have to attack Queen first, then Cooke, then Rockwaller, and finally Possible. We need to handcuff them so that they can't go anywhere. London will get her video camera and record everything. Carm and Sandi will lift them upside-down one by one over the toilet. I will offer them leniency if they not only tell Mrs. Johnson to reinstate my position as the captain but also bow to the heiress. But if they don't, the swirlies will continue until I will force them to convince that Possible is not a part of my team. And when I come into Possible's room, she would be rejected by those who were once considered to be her friends. This is my last chance of attaining that captain position. It's all or nothing. Are you with me, Camille?" Veruca then extended her hand to symbolize that they were all involved in this plot.

"I'm, like, totally in, Veruca. I don't like being the temporary captain. It's, like, too much responsibility" Camille put her hand out in agreement.

London, Carm, and Sandi came into Veruca's room and joined in the pact as well.

The debutante knew that this prank was her last chance of reclaiming her fame as a cheerleader.

Bonnie got ready for church first by taking her shower, brushing her teeth, curling her hair, and putting on her makeup and mascara. At 9:30, she put on her Sunday red dress that she packed on her trip. She put on her high-heels and was ready to praise God.

Kim was next to get ready as she did her business in the bathroom. She also pulled back her red hair and put on her new blue dress that James gave her on her birthday. She also put on the necklace and pendant her mom gave her after Anne's mom passed away. She looked gorgeous for church.

Soon enough, everyone was in their Sunday best, including the chaperones. Eighteen of the cheerleaders went to their respective places of worship. Fourteen went to the First Baptist Church in Batesville and the other four went to the Methodist church there. Of course, the other five cheerleaders were held up in room 407, planning the demise of Kim for one last time.

Sharon, Randy, and Shelly Marsh took John and Stan to St. Mary's for the 10:30 Mass.

Forty miles away in Grenada, the yellow buses took the Mad Dog players to their respective houses of worship.

After an hour of worship serivces, the eighteen cheerleaders all met up at Western Sizzlin' for their traditional Sunday Brunch. All they were talking about was preparations for the upcoming Game 2 tomorrow night at the same Dunlap Stadium against the Tigers.

John, of course, went back to the hotel. Immediately upon returning, he changed his church clothes into his pajamas and watch TV, which he normally does on Sundays after Mass. Felix also changed his church clothes as well into shorts and a T-shirt.

"Hey, John, wanna get some coffee?" Felix asked as he pulled up his power wheelchair adjacent to John.

"Nah, man. I had three cups and, like God, I must rest on Sunday." John responded and went to sleep for the next 4 hours. He felt so tired.

Felix guided his chair up to the coffeemaker and poured himself a cup of coffee.

After the Sunday brunch, Kim and the other cheerleaders returned to their rooms. Some of them slept soundly, still in their Sunday best. _They must be exhaused from all that worshipping, praying, and food. _Mr. Possible thought to himself.

It was an uneventful and cloudy Sunday afternoon for Kim and company. Tara and Caitlin cracked the doors open so that they could enjoy pizza. The cheerleaders had takeout pizza for dinner, knowing that this would be the next-to-last meal at the hotel. It was a rare occurance for the 23 girls to be together. It was even more unusual for Veruca, the hellspawn who almost got their friend expelled last night, was sitting between Tara and Caitlin. She was also in a bright and chipper mood today, in comparison to her vulgar, bossy, evil self that was shown last night during her punishment

_Veruca seems to be in a brighter mood than usual _Caitlin thought to herself _Wait a minute, I think she's trying to plan some devious act, but I just don't know what._

While the girls were enjoying the pizza, Veruca snaked her hand into Tara's purse and took her key, along with Caitlin's as well. Tara and Caitlin did not even notice the theft of their key cards.

Back in Grenada, after Sunday lunch, Ron was still thinking about Kim and how he had missed her since that 55-degree Friday night after Game 1. It has been that long since Ron and Kim had been split up, more than the many times that Drakken had imprisoned them. As the cloudy Sunday afternoon passed him by, he kept on thinking of her. He kept on thinking about the warm embrace they had with each other. At 5:00, Stan knocked on Ron's door and told him that Coach Barkin wants to meet the players in the meeting room. All of the Mad Dog football team assembled. Coach Barkin showed them the Game 1 film. After the film ended, he gave this statement to his team:

_I liked what I saw in Game 1. You fought with hard work and determination. As a result, we came out with a W. Game 2, again, will not be an easy task. South Panola does not take its defeats very lightly. Expect them to be more aggressive and more determined than ever before. I know they will expose our running lanes because they ran over 300 yards against us, but that's not the point. The point is that we need to play Game 2 with the very same determination that I saw in Game 1. I want to see you all play your hearts out for all 48 minutes of the game. I do not want to see any mistakes at all. I expect 100% from each and every one of you. Is that understood?_

"YES SIR!!!!!" All of the Mad Dog football players barked out.

"Thank you." After Coach Barkin initiated a brief prayer, the players headed back to their rooms. It would be the last night they would enjoy in Grenada before heading back to Dunlap Stadium for Game 2.

Ron put his head on the pillow, as he continued to think of Kim in his dreams.

Later that night, Kim rested her head on the pillow as she was enjoying another late-night conversation with Bonnie, who was reading a romance novel.

"Hey B, ready for Game 2 tomorrow?" Kim questioned as she prepared to head to sleep for her last full night in Batesville. "Oh, and one other thing, if Veruca attempts to come in here, will you remind me with a sceram?"

"Sure thing, K" Bonnie replied.

"I'll see ya tomorrow B." She yawned, turned out her light, and went to bed. Bonnie did the same a few minutes later. Kim was clutching a pair of Global Justice handcuffs, just in case Veruca or her posse comes in here.

"Lights' out." Mrs. Johnson yelled. It was now 11 pm.

Almost all of the chaperones, coaches, statisticians, and cheerleaders went to sleep. That is, except for Veruca and her posse, waiting for the right moment to strike. At 11:15, the five girls slowly tiptoed out of Veruca's hotel room, as to not disturb the chaperones. Camille lightly opened up the stairwell door and Veruca, London, Carm, and Sandi followed. She closed the stairwell door gently. They went down one flight of stairs to the third floor. They also held the handcuffs tight so that the rattling chain noise won't wake up the guests. As they came up to Tara's room on the second floor, Veruca took out Tara's key that she stole from her earlier. She whispered to the other deviant brats of her circle London was now holding her video camera, ready to record every single second.

"All right, you girls hide to the sides, while I do my usual business. Then when I give the signal, prepare to strike."

Veruca walked into Tara's room, alone.


	32. Sunday Night Swirlies

Veruca causually walked into Tara's room. Sharpay, her former roommate, was assigned to another room of the hotel with Libby on the third floor, now that she's the senior co-captain. Tara was all alone.

Tara woke up, turned on the light, and rubbed her clear blue eyes. All she could see in the room was her ex-captain.

"What the hell do you want, Veruca?" Tara demanded. In her sleep, she wasn't in a happy mood when someone disturbs her sleep.

"I just want to use the bathroom." Veruca confidenly replied as she stuck her witch-nose in the air.

"Why can't you use your bathroom?" Tara asked.

Veruca knew that even though Tara was one of most moral of the Mad Dog cheerleaders, she was also vulnerable to lies from other people. The spoiled debutante, once again, used Tara's weakness to her own advantage.

"The toilet was backed up in my room, and since your toilet runs better, I want to use the toilet." Veruca lied through her small set of teeth.

"Sure, whatever." Tara answered back in a grumpy manner, not realizing the trouble that she was about to get into.

After Veruca was done with her business, she was about to walk out of Tara's room when she gave the signal. London, Camille, Carm, and Sandi came barging in quietly. London turned on her video camera.

"Hey, what the--" Tara exclaimed before Camille stuffed a blindfold in her mouth. Her hands were cuffed behind her back by Sandi. The cold metal was penetrating her skin.

"Now, Carm, Sandi, pick her up." Veruca barked orders to the two strongest cheerleaders on the team.

Carm and Sandi obeyed as they picked up poor Tara, her blonde hair hanging over her, upside-down towards the toilet.

Tara's muffled screams intensified when she realized that Veruca hadn't flushed the toilet. She did not want human urine on her blonde hair. Yet, she remained helpless and Carm and Sandi dangled her upside-down 93 pound frame over the dirty toilet. London held her camera to record every single grueling second of Tara's ordeal. Camille's job was to be on the lookout for the chaperones while Veruca flushed the toilet in order to make sure Tara's hair was soaking wet with her urine. It was the most humiliating event of Tara's life.

Her orderal of being cuffed while Carm and Sandi were holding her upside-down, her muffled screams, and her blonde hair being absorbed with Veruca's piss contined to last for 4 minutes. Veruca interrupted the silence of Tara's screams with her proposal:

"Queen, I am a mericiful cheerleader. I can stop the swirlie ordeal if you do the following: reject Possible as your friend, kick her from the squad, reinstate myself as the Team Captain, and demote Evans from being the senior co-captain. I can even be your friend if you will bow down and prostrate before the heiress." She then took out an image of that heiress that she had been carrying around for the last four years. It even had her autograph on it. "If you say 'Yes' to my demands, I will release you. But if you don't, the swirlies will continue."

Tara needed to make a decision quickly. Either she could become weak-willed and bow down to the heiress and be Veruca's friend, or she could stick to her guns, take all the pisswater in her hair, and retain her friendship with Kim. Then, she remembered. Tara had been subjected to some of Veruca's torture and tongue-lashing in the past. Her Baptist faith and intelligence pointed her to the right decisions. Now, it was those same strong Baptist beliefs, through all those worship services and Bible classes, that helped her through the swirlies.

She let out with a loud muffled cry, her hair now soaked with urine, "Never, Veruca. I refuse to bow to that heiress. Kim will stay on the team. I hope you and your cronies will rot in prison!"

Veruca, in a false sense of security, got a smug look on her face. "Hah, not on your lifetime, Queen. Carm and Sandi, continue the swirlies." Carm and Sandi obeyed as Veruca walked out of the bathroom.

"Any chaperones, Camille?" She wanted to know if there were any witnesses in the area.

"Nope," Camille whispered as she checked both hallways, "it's, like, all clear."

"Good." Veruca cheerfully chuckled.

After 11 minutes of swirlie torture, the spoiled deb just sighed and barked the orders in a quiet manner, "Carm and Sandi, release Queen, I think we've broken her will long enough. She is of no use to me."

Carm and Sandi released Tara from her water torture and pushed her to the floor. Tears of humiliation now flowed from her eyes as Veruca and her cronies just stared at her from the hotel floor.

"Come on girls, let's get to Cooke next. Let's let Queen to wallow in her own tears." Silent laughter echoed out of Veruca's mouth, her crooked nose shot straight up in the air. She left Tara there, seemingly helpless to do anything to stop Veruca's rampage. Veruca was the last girl to leave the room.

In her moment of triumph, however, Veruca neglected to close the door all the way. She left a little crack open to the hallway. Tara saw her opportunity to take advantage of a fatal mistake that Veruca usually makes when trying to execute her evil plans: She usually neglects the smallest of details. The cracking of the door will be her worst. Tara, with muffled grunts, got up on her own power. Since she was still cuffed, Tara used her legs to open the door up to the hallway. _Oh no, _Tara realized Veruca's plan in her mind _Caitlin's next on Veruca's hit list. I think I now know what she's doing. She and her gang are trying to give us swirlies so that she could be reinstated on that team. That debutante has angered me for the last time. Time for me to warn Mrs. Johnson. _She knew her room number, 220 at the very end of the hallway. Tara, which looked like a train wreck, went to Mrs. Johnson's room and kicked the door with her leg.

Mrs. Johnson was still awake. She looked at the alarm clock. It was now 11:45. _Damn, can't tomorrow come anytime soon. The sooner we can kick Veruca off the team, the better, _she thought to herself. She got her wish when she opened the door. Her eyes were in a state of shock and aghast when she caught sight of Tara. The stench of urine was all over her now-ruined blonde hair and on some of her was cuffed and gagged with a blindfold. She was crying out with screams of "HELP ME!!! HELP ME!!!" Mrs. Johnson took the blindfold out of Tara's mouth.

Tara coughed and gasped momentarily before finally finding her breath.

"What happened to you, Tara? And what is that stench I'm smelling on you?" Mrs. Johnson asked. She was still in shock that this type of degradation and prank can happen to a Mad Dog cheerleader. She closed her door to comfort the traumatized cheerleader.

"It's Veruca," Tara said in an angry tone. "It's that spoiled little brat who did this to me."

"That insensitive spoiled bastard is REALLY going to get it THIS TIME!! What did she do to you?" Mrs. Johnson converted her shock into rage.

"She gave me a swirlie, and, due to her frail body, I don't believe that she acted in this alone." Tara now responded with the stench of urine on her face. She was really pissed off for what Veruca had done to her, this sordid prank on a fellow cheerleader. "Veruca wanted me for you to reinstate her as the captain. I refused to do so and this is what happened to me. She needs to be expelled!!"

"Tara, this is undeniably the most horrible thing that Veruca has done to this squad. You got your wish. Veruca is undeniably going to be not only kicked off the team but also expelled from Middleton High!!" Mrs. Johnson declared, "I must tell the other chaperones, the Principal, and Officer Hobble about this."

"Oh yeah, there's more. Veruca is going after the cheerleader that are close to Kim. She got me and she's going after Caitlin next. I fear that she is trying to give swirlies to Bonnie and Kim after that as well." Tara added in on the now-revealed details of Veruca's plan.

"Don't worry, Tara. Once that brat is gone momentarily, she won't be able to torment you or any of your fellow cheerleaders." Mrs. Johnson said these confident words in Tara.

Tara then warned her, "Hurry, we must warn Caitlin before ..."

Just as she said those words, a muffled scream came from room 215 across the hall: Caitlin's room. Veruca and the other cheerleaders quickly ran out into the stairwell before Mrs. Johnson and Tara, still cuffed, looked out.

Caitlin came from the cracked door of room 215. She was bound up in a similar manner to that of Tara's. She was cuffed behind her back, gagged at the mouth with a washcloth, and Veruca's urine soaked her blonde hair, leaving it in a ruined state.

Mrs. Johnson, removed the washcloth from Caitlin's mouth. Tears were raining down her face, leving her mascara ruined.

"It's Veruca." she cried "She tried to tempt me with that heiress and her gifts in return for kicking Kim off the team. I refused to do and she did this to me." Her tears were evident that Veruca had to be removed immediately.

The first room that the three went to was to Officer Hobble, who was also in charge of the cheerleaders if something went wrong.

Officer Hobble woke up from his snoring, looked at his official police phone: 11:58, and went to the door. The stench of urine was overpowering his sense of smell. It was Mrs. Johnson, Tara, and Caitlin.

"Sorry to disturb you officer, but these two girls were given swirlies by Veruca Salt and were handcuffed in the process." Mrs. Johnson said in a low growling tone.

"Please, Officer, these handcuffs are biting into my skin." Tara pleaded for help. The cuffs that Veruca put on Tara were too tight for her frail skin. Caitlin was also pleadiing as well.

Officer Hobble sighed and grabbed his utility belt with the cuff key in them. He released the cuffs from both Tara and Caitlin. He had been dreading this day: arresting Veruca Salt for 2 counts of simple assault and credit card fraud.

"Where's Veruca now?" Officer Hobble asked Mrs. Johnson, holding his nose to avoid the stench of urine.

"I fear that Veruca and her gang is going after Bonnie and Kim next. We gotta warn the chaperones!! Tara, Caitlin, send text messages to the other chaperones! I'm calling up ... Principal Conrad!"

"We're on it!" Tara and Caitlin, through their bruised-up wrists, typed in the text message: "Veruca is giving swirlies, meet at room 305." They sent this message to the Marshes, Broflovskis, Possibles, and the Stotches.

When the chaperones were suddenly jolted awake by the rumbling of their cell phones, they took one look at the message and they were mortified at this.

When Sharon read the text message, she voted to herself, _It's time to put an end to Veruca's evil plans._

Back in room 115, James and Anne Possible were hearing buzzing noises on the nightstand. It was now 12:04.

"Uhh, honey, can you get that." James silently whispered to his wife, still asleep.

The room was still dark. Anne stretched her hand out onto the nightstand for her cell. She flipped open and the HUD screen appeared the text message from Tara that they have been dreading for years. Anne's eyes were widened.

"James, take a look at this." She was now fully alert that her daughter was in danger of Veruca's path. Anne handed her cell to James, he took one look at the message and his tired, almost droopy, eyes suddenly turned wide open. They were full of rage.

"That blond-haired brat has really done it this time. Hurry, we must get to my Kimmie-cub's room, before that brat gives her a swirlie." James was now fully aware that the spoiled deb has gone far enough. He grabbed his bed-robe and went up to the stairwell.

With quick thinking, they prepared to make their way to room 305, where Veruca's next, and most important, targets were still sleeping.


	33. Veruca's Downfall

**I do not own Officer Barbrady. He is the property of South Park.**

Time: 12:01 am

Room 305

Kim and Bonnie were still fast asleep. The vibrating sounds from Bonnie's cell phone shook the nightstand. It was a text message from Sharon warning them about Veruca's swirlie rampage against Tara and Caitlin. Yet, Bonnie was fast asleep, dreaming of cheering on her fellow Mad Dogs to victory in Game 2. Again, the door was cracked slightly open to allow cold air into the room, for it was stuffy in there.

Veruca and her gang crept into the room silently as to not disturb their most important victims. The debutante came in, followed by London, Camille, Carm, and Sandi. They tiptoed on the carpet. Veruca was going to pull the covers off of Kim's bed herself.

"I have you now, Possible!!" Veruca laughed wildly as she pulled off the blanket and covers off of Kim's bed.

What she didn't expect was that Kim's body was spread out evenly on the bed so that her long auburn hear created the perfect lump on the pillow. She completely fell for Kim's trap. Kim knew Veruca had to come to torture her in some form or fashion.

Kim dived at Veruca like a pouncing panther. She tackled down the spoiled brat to the hotel carpet with just one takedown. Kim pinned Veruca's hands to her back and cuffed her instantly. Veruca tried to kick Kim in the back with her skinny legs. The now-alert red-haired cheerleader pinned Veruca's legs to the ground immediately. Kim had a 20-pound advantage over Veruca proved to be the decisive factor in the brief melee.

The other four cheeleaders were now afraid because their ringleader was pinned to the ground by the very victim that they were to give a swirlie to. They fled from the room to the nearby stairwell at 12:04 am, at the exact same time that James got the message that Veruca was giving swirlies. Carm and Sandi went back to their fourth floor room while London and Camille fled back to bed in Veruca's old room. Since the chaperones were scattered on the first, second, and third floors, they got away just in time to abandon their so-called friend in Kim's custody.

London then noticed that something was missing. She immediately gasped.

"Shit, my video camera. I left it back in Kim's room." she exclaimed. She was about to get up when Camille warned her.

"Dont, like, go back there. You want to, like, go to jail with Veruca? Then I'd, like, suggest to keep your mouth shut."

London kept her mouth shut and went to bed, not knowing that the video evidence would implicate them as well.

Back in room 305, Kim was in triumph over a now-cuffed and screaming Veruca Salt. She was trying to kick and escape with her legs, but Kim sat on them in order to prevent her escape.

Her screams jolted Bonnie out of her bed. Bonnie rubbed her eyes "What's going on K, it's .... Veruca?? What the hell is she doing here ... handcuffed?" She spotted the video-camera and the two pairs of handcuffs.

"Hey B, can ya toss me a pair of cuffs for her feet?" Kim asked for some help as she sat on Veruca's bony legs long enough.

"Sure K!" Bonnie tossed one of the pairs of handcuffs. Kim immediately ended the struggle of having to sit on the deb's legs so she cuffed them.

Veruca was now trapped.

"YOU INSENSITIVE JERKS, YOU RUINED EVERYTHING, YOU STUPID ASSHOLES!!!! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!!!!!" Veruca screamed at the top of her lungs. She now realized that she has been abandoned "MY FRIENDS ABANDONED ME!! THOSE TRAITORS, I'LL SUE THEM TOO!! STUPID BUTTHEADS CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!!!"

Just then, at 12:12am, James and the chaperones, still in their pajamas, were marching in the third floor corridor. _That brat better not touch a red fiber on my daughter's hair!!! _He was drowning himself with angry thoughts against Veruca. The chaperones also joined in with the head cheerleading coaches, Principal Conrad and Officer Hubble. Tara and Caitlin joined in with angry looks on their faces, their pajamas were still stained with Veruca's urine from the dirty were bringing in everyone to take down the sick little brat once and for all. Once they approached room 305, however, they found a cuffed Veruca still screaming and crying to her heart's content, but was unable to escape, thanks to the quick thinking of Kim and Bonnie.

"Kimmie-Cub, you're all right." James said as he embraced his favorite, and only, daughter. He was relieved that not a single drop of urine had touched her beautiful red hair. Kim hugged her mom in the same manner as well.

Mrs. Rockwaller was happy that Bonnie's hair didn't suffer the same fate as Tara's or Caitlin's

Mrs. Johnson was relieved that her two favorite cheerleaders were all right, and that her least favorite cheerleader was bound by cuffs.

Then, the stench the urine-soaked hair of Caitlin and Tara overpowered everyone's, including Bonnie's, sense of smell. All eyes then turned their attention to the video camera. Tara got her hands on it first.

"DON'T LOOK AT THAT VIDEO CAMERA, YOU BUNCHES OF JERKS!!!! GGGGGGRRRRRRR!!!!!!! DON'T LOOK AT IT!! THAT IS A DIRECT ORDER FROM YOUR CAPTAIN!!!" Veruca barked as she tried to prevent them from looking at the damning evidence, but it was too late.

Tara gave it to Mrs. Johnson for all to see Veruca in all of her evil form. In the video camera, she was cackling wildly and pronounced that Kim should be kicked off the team that the deb would be reinstated as the captain. Two muscular cheerleaders were holding up poor Tara over the toilet, upside-down, while being cuffed and gagged with a washcloth. This brought on an anger to Mrs. Johnson's eyes that they had not seen before. Tara didn't want to see that haunting footage ever again in her lifetime. He also saw the incident with Caitlin as well as Veruca continued to taunt and spit on her.

Then the bombshells started to drop on Veruca. Her own world of privilege, planning, and luxury came crashing down on her as Principal Conrad and Officer Hobble entered the room. Officer Hobble wore his police uniform over his pajamas while Principal Conrad was still in his pajamas. He was more than ready to crush Veruca's spoiled life like a bug.

Veruca then started the waterworks from her blue eyes. Her deseparate tears were like Niagra falls.

"YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME!!!!!!!!! WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!!!!!! THIS CANNOT BEEEEE HAPPENINGGGGGGGG!!!!!!" Veruca's royal tantrum was in full swing.

Mrs. Johnson was the first to issue the three heavy blows to destroy the debutate's life forever.

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention, you also uttered the most offensive phrase a Mad Dog could say "f---- school spirit". As those three words spewed out of Mrs. Johnson's mouth, Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and Caitlin were shocked, disgusted, and horrified. No one even dared to utter those three words before, and not to a teacher's face. Principal Conrad's face turned white as a ghost.

Mrs. Johnson continued her announcement of bitter rage "This blatant insult to the Mad Dog school spirit more than qualifies as unsportsmanlike conduct not just to the athletic teams but to the school as a whole. FOR THIS UNFORGIVABLE INCIDENT OF WORDS, VERUCA DARLING SALT, YOU ARE HEREBY EXPELLED FROM THE MIDDLETON MAD DOG CHEERING SQUAD, PERMANATELY!!!!"

"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS CANNOT HAPPEN TO MEEEEEEE!!!!! I CAN'T BE EXPELLED FROM THE SQUAD!!!!!! I AM THE SQUAD!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!" Her tears were endlessly streaming now.

Kim and Bonnie high-fived and hugged each other. After four years of oppression, their dream of seeing Veruca expelled from the Cheer Squad finally came true and it became even better.

As Principal Conrad saw the two videos of Tara and Caitlin getting the toilet treatment on London's digital camera that she left behind, he had a disgusted and angry look that just would not go waway from his face. He finally did something that he always wanted to do.

He announced to the chaperones and the four cheerleaders who were present. "For your horrendous treatment to not just your fellow cheerleaders but to your fellow students as well and to all of the behaviors that you committed in the past, Veruca Darling Salt, YOU ARE HEREBY EXPELLED FROM MIDDLETON HIGH SCHOOL."

Kim and Bonnie continued jumping up and down for joy. Tara and Caitlin were about to hug each other, then realized that they were still smelling like urine. Everyone was happy now that Veruca is offically expelled from the school system. No one wants a spoiled debutante who nearly ruined the Mad Dog's sportsmanship image with her potty-mouth.

"THIS IS NOT FAIR!!! I CANNOT BE EXPELLED FROM MIDDLETON HIGH!!!! MY FATHER WILL SUE YOUR ASS INTO OBLIVION AND ALL OF YOUR LITTLE SALARIES WILL BE CUT!!! THEN YOU WILL BE WORKING IN MY MANSION AS YOU WILL BOW DOWN TO THAT HEIRESS!!!!She immediately spotted her purse behind her. In the midst of her tears, she pulled out her last trump card, that image of the heiress with her autograph from her purse.

"PRINCIPAL CONRAD, YOU WILL PROSTRATE TO HER AND BELIEVE THAT EVERY WORD THAT SHE SAYS IS TRUE!!!!!!" Veruca demanded of the former Gulf War hero.

Principal Conrad took one look at the autographed picture of the heiress, spat on the the photo as hard as he could, and proceeded to tear up the image of the heiress, right in Veruca's crying presence. He continued to tear up the image into tinier pieces. Then, to add insult to injury, Principal Conrad blew whatever was left of the tattered image of the heiress right in Veruca's face. This was the second devastating blow to Veruca.

The cursing storm now began from Veruca's loud tantrum mouth.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS THE IMAGE OF THE HEIRESS THAT I CARRIED AROUND FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS!!!!! MY LIFE IS DONE FOR!!!!! YOU LITTLE $*^(&$. I'LL GET YOU, YOU BUNCHES OF $%*&#^*&. POSSIBLE, YOU WILL $&*&#&$ MY *$*!#&*$! !!!!!!! ROCKWALLER, YOU WILL #&^#* MY $&^#*& !!!!!! ALL YOU CHAPERONES WILL BE NOTHING MUCH THAN A BUNCH OF *$^*& WHO WILL FALL TO MY ARMY OF LAWYERS. I'LL SUE THIS WHOLE DAMN TOWN IF I HAVE TO!!!!!!!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!"

She then uttered even more profanities against God, Jesus, and Heaven.

Mr. Possible has had enough of Veruca's blasphemies and the taking of the Lord's name in vain uttering from the debutante's mouth. All eyes now turned to Officer Hobble.

Mr. Possible angrily nodded "Officer, you know what to do."

Officer Hobble announced the third and final blow to Veruca's life. "Veruca Salt, I'm sorry, but you are under arrest."

"WHAT??? ON WHAT CHARGES?????" Veruca blew her top off and demanded to know why she was under arrest, although her cursing has toned down a little.

"Well, for starters, there is disturbing the peace, then you are also charged with 2 counts of simple assault, 1 count of attempted assault and credit card fraud."

To make the arrest firm and legal, and to release Kim from her four years of prison with that monster, Officer Hobble began to read Veruca's rights.

_You have the right to remain silent. Anything you can say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?_

Veruca, now admitting defeat for the first time in her life, nodded her head, "Yes, I do." She was led out by Officer Hobble, with hand and feet bound in cuffs, to the paddy wagon waiting down below in the hotel parking lot. It was driven by Officer Barbrady, a no-nonsense officer. Officer Hobble threw the train wreck of Veruca Salt into the wagon and slammed the doors shut on her.

In the hotel room, Kim and Bonnie embraced each other. The strong bond of friendship that they had with the other cheerleaders, and the obedience to their elders and teachers helped defeat one of the most spoiled debutantes the world has ever known.

The wagon drove off from the parking lot onto Highway 6/278, then disappeared in the neverending camouflage of red taillights onto Interstate 55.

This was the last time Kimberly Anne Possible saw Veruca Darling Salt ever again. Veruca was now officially a jailbird.

Knowing that they have a big game coming in 14 hours, Kim, Bonnie, and the other chaperones decided to go back to sleep.

After sharing their joy of triumph, Kim and Bonnie went back to bed. It was now almost 1 in the morning.

James, now proud of his daughter for standing up to that brat, went back to sleep with Anne.

Tara went to sleep with Caitlin in Kim's room on the floor in sleeping bags, realizing that they would be better off with Kim and Bonnie than to be by themselves as easy pickings for any of Veruca's fragmenting posse.

The dark days were not over for Middleton yet, even with the arrest and imprisonment of the evil Veruca Salt.


	34. Aftermath

Location: Grenada, Mississippi

Time: Monday, 7:00am

As Ron woke up to both the sound of the alarm clock and his cell phone, his blonde hair was all tussled up. He slowly got up and took his shower and prepared to come down to breakfast with the other players.

Suddenly, Stan came in.

"Uh, Ron, I think you'd better check out the news. Looks like something went down in Batesville."

Ron found the remote and turned on the TV for the news.

The newscaster reported "... in other news, prior to tonight's Game 2, the Middleton Mad Dog's cheering captain Veruca Salt was arrested for 2 counts of simple assault and 1 count of attempted simple assault. She happened to give swirlies to Tara Queen and Caitlin Cooke. She attempted to give her fellow Mad Dog cheerleader, Kim Possible a swirlie but was stopped and apprehended by Possible in a sting operation. Salt was expelled from the cheer squad, expelled from Middleton High, would now be transported to the Forrest County Jail. Possible, an agent of Global Justice, was commended for her actions today by Officer Dewey Hobble of the Hattiesburg Police Department. Now, turning to the weather, for Game 2, it will be cloudy with a later chance of thunderstorms as a strong cold-front sweeps through the state..."

Ron's hand started to shake as he turned off the television.

_Damn, I knew Veruca was high-school evil, but this is just beyond comprehension. I'm just glad that the spoiled little hellspawn is expelled from the squad and from the squad. _He was now more than worried about Kim.

He went down to breakfast with his fellow players. Ron drew a great concern about this because Coach Barkin specifically told them not to be distracted by off-the-field issues, especially with the volatility of the Cheer Squad. Yet, when he came down to breakfast, no one seemed to care. They heeded Barkin's advice quite well and didn't care at all for the fallen deb.

As he sat next to Chad Danforth, he fiddled around with his eggs. He took a few bites and pushed his plate to the side. Ron returned to his room and packed his stuff up for Batesville. After he packed up his items, he laid down on the bed since there was nothing else to do for the next six hours.

The star tailback then spied the shining object reflecting off of the dim hotel lamp.

_Gasp. The harmonica! I almost forgot. _Ron picked up his harmonica from the knapsack and played it to his heart's content for the next 15 minutes. He then put the instrument to the side and dozed off to sleep, resting up for the upcoming game. All he did was pray and hope that Kim would be out of harm's way of Veruca's other brats.

At 1:00pm, the Mad Dog players checked out of their rooms and returned to the three charter buses. As Coach Barkin and his other coaches were finishing off their checkout papers, Ron stared out into the greying sky from the bus. _Hope the weather doesn't go sour on us, _he thought to himself. As the buses rolled out of the hotel parking lot onto the interstate, the Mad Dogs prepared to face up against a Tigers team that was thristy for revenge from Game 1.

Setting: Batesville, MS  
Location: Holiday Inn

Time: 8:00 am

Kim walked down to the restaurant for breakfast with a new and confident look on her face. Her frizzled red hair was messed up but she was in a bright mood today. This was her first day of freedom without Veruca. Of course, on the downside, Camille was the temporary captain, but at least she doesn't have to deal with Veruca anymore. Bonnie followed behind her. She sat by the booth with John.

John was enjoying his cup of coffee and reading the issue of the _Panolian _when he caught sight of a jubilant pair of beautiful cheerleaders.

"Good morning Kim. Good morning Bonnie. Why are you such in a happy mood today?" John cheerfully asked.

"Veruca has been arrested for giving swirlies to Tara and Caitlin and attempted to give one to K." Bonnie replied as she ordered her usual bacon and sausages.

"Good riddance to that brat!" Kim agreed as she continued to eat her food.

"Yeah, she won't be around the halls of Middleton High for a long time." Bonnie responded back.

"So what are you going to do with all of Veruca's stuff that she brought along?" John wondered.

"We are going to throw everything that spoiled brat has into the dumpster!" Kim exclaimed. "Since I heard that you hate the heiress as much as we do, why don't you join in?" She offered John to help get rid of whatever influence Veruca has left.

"I agree, the stench of her snobbery has poisoned the team long enough!" John agreed.

After breakfast, some of the cheer squad and John went up to Mrs. Johnson's room.

Kim knocked on the door and Mrs. Johnson answered.

"Mrs. Johnson, since you have Veruca's stuff, may we throw everything she brought on this trip away?" The red-haired cheerleader asked as she used her traditional "puppy-dog pout". She was the most ready of the cheerleaders to get rid of four years of bad memories.

"Sure, you may." Mrs. Johnson said as she pointed to the dumpster in the back of the hotel. "But if you want to do damage to her electronics, you may need these boots so that we wouldn't have any broken pieces of metal on your feet, now do we?" She gave the cheerleaders the heavy boots. The cheerleaders took everything that belonged to Veruca, from her designer bag to the iPhone with the crying pictures of the old Kim on them. They went down a flight of stairs and opened the door to where the dumpster was lying in wait.

At the dumpster, the first thing to go were the CDs that the heiress made. In the past, Veruca forced the cheerleaders in her bus to listen to the heiress' music on away trips and competitions. She played that music on a neverending loop. It was, according to Tara, "like nails on a chalkboard, up, down, and across." Tara, her beautiful blonde hair now urine-free, smashed every single one of Veruca's CDs with her boot and then threw away the discarded pieces in the dumpster.

The next thing to go were the tabloid magazines that centered around every single move of the heiress. Bonnie especially hated how Veruca would recite, word or word, about the heiress' whereabouts or what the latest act that she has committed. She ripped the tabloid papers up into little shreds and threw them away as well.

The third thing that was to go to the bin were all of the DVD's of reality shows showing little brats who wanted everything in the world. Veruca also played them on a continuous basis. It was like that torture scene from "A Clockwork Orange" being played over and over again. Bebe, Maddie, Lisa, Kim and Bonnie joined in on the stomping of these highly immoral DVD's. The DVDs were broken in their cases. The cheerleaders then disposed of it.

The fourth thing that had to go were the images of the heiress that Veruca carries around. This was John's turn. Kim gave those terrifying images to John. The statistician then proceeded to spit on them and to tear them up at a fantastic speed. After he did this, he threw them all away and muttered curses against the heiress.

The cheerleaders threw everything Veruca brought with her on this trip away, except for one thing: her iPhone. This was Kim's turn. This was the item that had haunted her for years, for it contained the graphic images of the old crying Kim.

Kim took Veruca's pink iPhone from Bonnie and did the honors. With utter and uncontrollable rage, she stepped on that iPhone with her boot, over and over again. This continued on until the iPhone was nothing more than a pile of broken pieces of metal and bad memories. Kim collected the broken remains of the iPhone and threw away four years of bad memories.

As this was all happening, Camille and London looked in horror to see that Veruca's valuable were treated nothing more than common trash.

"This is, like, so not fair. How could they, like, do this to her? GRRRR!!! I so like, want my revenge against Kim, but, like Veruca said, I shouldn't, like, take it out on her on the field. Cheerleading elections are, like, coming up in a few days!" the temporary captain seethed with anger.

"Dude, you need to just chill. Once Game 2 ends, I'll make sure that you become the new cheering captain, not Sharpay." London said. She was looking at one of the few tabloid magazines that the girls neglected to throw away. "For right now, we need to keep a low profile."

"You are, so like, totally right." Camille agreed.

All the two comrades of Veruca could do was to sit and wait.

The 22 Mad Dog cheerleaders were, once again, dressed up in their gold uniforms. Now without Veruca, Camille was their temporary captain. Although she was Veruca's right-hand woman and an ardent worshipper of the heiress, she was not as physically demanding on the cheerleaders as Veruca was. She can be a happy camper, but only if the Mad Dogs win every single game. They all assembled in the lobby at 12:30 for their checkout.

There was no practice on Monday, so Camille gave them a brief pep speech. At least she had some of that Mad Dog spirit coming out of that speech.

"All right. Like, I want you to give 100% out there on the field. I want to see a perfect cheer out there. I want to, like, see you pump up those Mad Dog fans out there. And I want to, like, see the Mad Dogs win." Sharpay, since she was the new senior co-captain, assembled the cheerleaders for a brief prayer. Camille and London, of course, stayed out of the circle. They rejoined back in for the chant "1..2...3.... MAD DOGS!!!"

Each of the cheerleaders returned their respective keys to the front desk, followed by Felix and John, and then Officer Hobble, the cheerleading coaches, and Mr. Malone. They boarded the four cheering buses and left a weekend of rowdy and dark days behind them.

They arrived at South Panola's stadium five minutes later, where the Tigers were lying in wait to catch their unsuspecting prey.


	35. PreGame 2

**The MHSAA policy was from the SI Manual. I do not own it.**

The Tigers, meanwhile, concentrated their Saturday practice on containing Ron from the outside. Coach Woods moved his two outside linebackers, Evan and Damon to the outside, while Marvin and Bart concentrated on the middle. That way, he believed, Ron could not find any outside holes. He also concentrated his Saturday practice on his award-winning offensive line. Coach Woods made sure that the mistakes that doomed the Tigers in Game 1 will not be made again in Game 2.

As the three buses arrived at Dunlap Stadium, Ron saw that the cheerleading buses arrived there first. That meant only one thing to him: Kim and the other cheerleaders were present. His heart began to raise up. He could see Kim for the first time since that magical Friday night. Yet, he still remained worried about Veruca's remaining cronies trying to gain some sort of revenge on Kim for what they had done to their fallen leader. The players marched out of the charter buses into the visiting side of the South Panola fieldhouse.

Kim and the other cheerleaders prepared to hang up the same banners that they used in Game 1. As the banners were being set up, she saw that the charter buses had arrived. Her heart started beating with joy. She wanted to hug Ron. The two members of Team Possible haven't seen each other all weekend long.

The banners were now put up. As she sat on the visitor's stands, Kim looked out into the greying sky. It was going to rain soon, but she did not know when it would occur. Her red hair swayed into the wind. She could not believe the wild span of events that had occurred within the last few days: the incident with the tears, her near expulsion, Veruca behind bars. It was too much for her. But at least she did not worry about Veruca's trecharous pyramid formations anymore. Camille signaled to Kim to come down from the stands to help unload the pom-poms. _Glad that loser is only captain for one game, _she thought to herself. Kim continued to unload the bags with the golden pom-poms from the buses.

John, with the help of Mr. Malone, guided Felix up to the visitor's press box with his heavy crutches. Felix proceeded to put his crutches near the door, He sat down in the same chair as he did in Game 1 and unpacked his laptop. John took out his usual pad of paper that was filled with the stats from Game 1 and his lucky pen.

London was the only cheerleader that maintained her position as the junior co-captain while Sharpay enjoyed her new position as the senior co-captain. Camille was now temporarily the captain of the team. They all had one big concern on their minds: cheerleading elections. "_Who is now going to lead the squad now that Veruca is incarcerated?_" That was the mindset of those three captains.

The afternoon passed by very rapidly.

Once the pom-poms have been unpacked and the Mad Dog costume was brought out onto the visiting side, Kim looked at the time on her PDA: 5:40. It was now time for the Mad Dogs to come out of the visiting locker room to do their pre-game warmups. The Mad Dogs then took to the opposite end of the field, that is the North end zone, and started their pregame warmups. A familiar face caught Kim's immediate attention. It was the wave of a hand from a Mad Dog bearing the number 7 away jersey. It was Ron Stoppable, the hero of Game 1. Kim waved her golden pom-pom's in the air as a makeshift way of greeting the most important friend of her life. After Ron assumed his usual place for the pre-game warmups, Kim put on her red-gold-purple bow and tied it across the back of her auburn hair. She then took out the small temporary tatoos of the Middleton logo, "Go", and "Mad Dogs" and applied it to her face.

The lights to Dunlap Stadium flickered on and the South Panola scoreboard, once again, came to life. The Tigers then took the field with the usual barrage of cheers, screams, and airhorn sounds from the growing number of South Panola fans. The Tigers don't back down, especially when they lose on their home turf.

The warmups continued for 45 minutes, then the players headed back to their respective locker rooms.

The Tiger cheerleaders also put up their banners as well. They say the following: "Time for Revenge" "Pound the Dogs" "Tigers R #1" among others.

The Middleton High band came in at 6:25 and went to their positions on the right side of the visitors stands. John took down the starters for both Middleton and South Panola. They were the same starters from Game 1.

The crowd was now almost at full capacity. South Panola's side was already packed as well as Middleton's. About 10,000 people came in attendance.

As the concession stands for both sides came into full operation, the South Panola PA came into the home press box at his usual time: 6:30. So did the radio station that did all of South Panola's games. Middleton's radio announcer came in next to John and Felix.

The PA's voice boomed through the sound system:

"The team, coaches, cheerleaders, student body and fans of South Panola High School extend to each of you a big welcome. We are pleased that you could be here. Tonight is Game 2 of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Football Series between your Tigers of South Panola High and the Mad Dogs of Middleton High School. The Mad Dogs won Game 1 last Friday night by the score of 28 to 23 and currently lead this series one game to zero. The high school athletes that are performing tonight are friendly rivals as members of opposing teams. This basically is the theme of interscholastic athletics - the idea of friendly competition. The visiting team in every intercholastic game is the guest of the home team. They are expected to be so regarded and treated."

He continued on with the official MHSAA policy:

"Profanity and vulgar cheers are abusive to other spectators and also a reflection on your school and community. This type of behavior will not be tolerated and may cause your team or school to be placed on probation. People involved in this behavior will be asked to leave the area with no refund or re-entry and could possibly be banned from future contests. The use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco are forbidden at all Mississippi high school activities."

"The officials are individuals who are assigned to administer the rules of the game according to the Nation Federation rules. Their experience and integrity qualify them for their part in this friendly interscholastic contest. The attitude of sportsmanship should be reflected by all spectators, no matter what their personal feeling of loyalty may be to one or the other teams in tonight's contest."

He concluded the policy, "There are concession stands and restrooms located on both sides of the stadium. We would also remind you that no visiting fans may enter the home side of the stadium. The same is true with Tiger fans as well. In a few minutes, we will have the starting lineup of each team."

Libby put on the Mad Dog mascot head and the other Mad Dog cheerleaders headed towards the opposite end of the field. They also unfurled the Middleton banner flag and the smaller Mad Dog flag as well. The M, H, and S initial flags were also unfurled as well.

The fearsome Tiger head for South Panola was also inflated and ready to go.

First, the South Panola players took to the field from the fog of the Tigers head. As usual, Von Sanford went in first.

Then, the Mad Dogs took to the field. Bonnie flew the main Middleton banner while Tara carried the smaller Mad Dog flag. Lisa, Caitlin, and Bebe carries the M,H,S flags. Kim and the remaining cheerleaders did a series of handflips and cheers to greet their 90 heroes to the visiting sidelines.

After the invocation and the playing of the National Anthem by the South Panola band, the coin toss ceremony began with the same captains.

This time, it was South Panola who won the toss and will get the ball first. The Mad Dogs chose to defend the South goal facing the fieldhouse.

The kickoff teams took to their respective sides of the field. Deangelo Young was ready to return the kick. Charlie Bucket kicked the tee off.

Game 2 was underway from Dunlap stadium before a full standing-only crowd of 10,000.


	36. Game 2 Quarter 1: Ground Force

The kickoff by Charlie to start off Game 2 was fielded by the senior wide receiver Karl Branting at the Tiger 3, Karl returned it 18 yards to the Tiger 21 as Kyle Broflovski contributed on the stop.

--SP ball--

On 1st and 10 from the 21, the Tigers lined up in their I-formation. Deangelo was behind center with Evan "T-Claw" Barksdale and Darius Griffin behind him. The Mad Dogs lined up in their usual 4-3 defense formation. With 7 second left on the play clock, Deangelo snapped the ball and handed it off to his five-star senior tailback. Darius found an open hole in the Mad Dog defense, thanks to blocks from Burris Ewell and Francis Hancock. He easily picked up the the first down and a few more yards before being stopped by Eugene and Token Black at the Tiger 36. It was a 15-yard gain and a Tiger first down.

Coach Woods, on the next play, decided to call in Deangelo's most favorite play "16 Right Option" in which Deangelo would take the ball himself and cut to the right upfield. He swaped Karl for the backup tight end, Viktor Krum, for this play. 11:40 showed on the clock. Deangelo snapped the ball and Viktor made a major block on TJ and it allowed Deangelo to cut upfield. He was suddenly free and had real estate in front of him. Ron was the only thing that stood between Deangelo and the end zone at the Mad Dog 46. All right, I gotta make this stop, he thought to himself. He tried to take the all-purpose quarterback down. However, Deangelo stiffed-armed him to the ground. All Ron got was a helmet-full of artifical turf. All the Mad Dog fans watched in horror as the PA exclaimed: "And Deangelo Young is off to the races." Deangelo was all the way down to the 30...20....10....5 TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS. A whole explosion of cheering came from the Tigers side. Only 36 seconds had gone in this game and the Tigers struck first. South Panola's fight song played as the Tiger banner waved across the home track.

Kim, who was witnessing Ron's frustration on the sidelines, couldn't believe this. The Mad Dogs' leaky defense gave up a 64-yard touchdown run to Deangelo Young. Ron could only pound his fists on the turf. Coach Barkin was in a state of disbelief and anger while Coach Woods congradulated his offense on an excellent play.

To make matters even more interesting, Coach Woods put two fingers in the air. The Tigers were going for two very early in the game. Instead of the kicking team with Ted Thompson, Deangelo lined up back under center. He barked the signals and called his own number again. The Tiger offensive line, once again, did its job of protecting Deangelo as he easily went in for two.

The Tigers took an 8-0 lead with 11:24 left in the first quarter.

The Mad Dog fans were stunned, yet they were still confident that with "Unstoppable" on the team, they can get back in the game.

--MID ball--

On the kickoff, Ted drilled the kickoff to the goalline where Ron was waiting. The familiar number 7 swerved through one tackler and got a good return of 33 yards before Blaise Zabini, the backup tailback, and Rakim Austin contributed with the stop.

It was 1st and 10 for the Mad Dogs at their own 33. Stan lined up under center behind Devon with Brian and Ron as the running backs. With 5 on the play clock, Stan barked the signals and handed the ball off to Ron, who went to the right side, where he had been effective in Game 1. However, Evan was there waiting for him as Ron was stopped at the 36 for only a 3-yard gain.

On 2nd and 7, Stan tried a fullback blast with Brian but was instantly stuffed by Damon West and Russell Northrop behind the line of scrimmage to the 34 for a loss of 2 yards.

Coach Barkin called a pass play on 3rd and 9 by taking out Brian and replacing him with Milo Kamalani. The Tigers responded by bringing in the nickel Package. With 10:22 left, Stan dropped back to pass to find his most favorite receiver, Carver but the pass fell short and it was fourth down. The Middleton fans groaned.

Barkin, frustrated that his offense couldn't do anything on its first possession, called in the punting unit with David Childers. David pinned the ball deep into Tiger territory at the 15. Deangelo tried to field it but was instantly cut down at the 13 by Kyle. A 49-yard punt for a 2-yard loss on the return.

--SP ball--

With 10:07 left in the first and enjoying an 8-0 lead, the Tigers started deep in their own territory at their own 13. The Mad Dogs were confident that the mistakes of the first drive wouldn't happen again.

On first and 10, Deangelo tried a fullback handoff to Evan but was stopped at the line of scrimmage by Eugene for no gain.

On second and 10, Coach Woods called in a QB draw. With the help from a block by Walter Cunningham, Deangelo was able to pick up 8 yards to the 21. Lee and TJ contributed with the stop for the Mad Dogs.

On third and 2, Coach Barkin tried to call in a goal-line defense to hold the Tigers. Coach Woods responded by calling in Viktor and his second-string fullback and punter, Ash Ketchum for Evan. With 8:55 left in the quarter and with 6 seconds on the play clock, Deangelo handed the ball off on a fullback blast play by Ash and he was able to cross the first down mark to the Tiger 25 where Greg Goldberg met him. It was a gain of 4, enough for another Tiger first down.

On first and 10, the Tigers were about to run their next play from the 25 when yellow laundry from the refs blew the play dead

FALSE START, ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 24 ON THE PLAY, IT IS A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN

Francis moved too early and the ball moved back to the Tiger 20.

On first and 15 after the penalty, Deangelo dropped back to pass for the first time in Game 2. The Mad Dogs were expecting run. Deangelo found Willie Wright, his senior wide reciever, at the 28. Willie caught the ball and moved to the Tiger 34 where Lee met him. It was a 14-yard pass play and close enough for the first.

It was second and 1 with 7:55 left in the quarter when, again, flags were everywhere.

ILLEGAL PROCEDURE ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 51 ON THE PLAY, IT IS A 5-YARD PENALTY, AND IT IS STILL SECOND DOWN.

Charles Harris, the sophomore tackle, moved a bit too early and the ball will be moved to the 30. Tiger fans didn't like the call. It was the second penalty on the drive.

On 2nd and 5, Deangelo tried to hand it off to Evan again on the blast play. Evan struggled to get back to the line of scrimmage as Ralph Wiggum made his presence felt for Middleton.

It was now 3rd and 5, and Coach Woods called in "14 Right Option". Darius was going to run the play to the right. As 7:01 remained on the game clock, Deangelo barked in the play and handed it off to Darius again. Francis made a huge block on Greg and, suddenly, Darius was wide open. He picked up the first down and a whole lot more. The Tiger fans jumped up and down. Darius was about to go to the races, if it weren't for the ever-present number 7 to bring him down. Kim cheered lightly for her partner. He was able to bring down Darius but it was now at the Mad Dog 41 yard-line. It was a 29-yard gain and another Tiger first down.

On the next play, Coach Woods called for another quarterback draw. Nine seconds remained on the play clock, and 6:34 remained in the first quarter. Deangelo again got help from his offensive line and picked up another Tiger first down. This time, he picked up 16 yards before Token was able to come up with the stop. The ball was now spotted at the 25.

Damn, we're allowing more rushing yards than usual. Ron thought to himself as the Mad Dogs were now trying to contain the Tigers' now-unstoppable ground attack.

On first and 10 from the 25. Deangelo called another blast play to Evan up the middle and Evan picked up 2 yards before Eugene and Mikey Blumberg came up with the stop for the Mad Dogs.

Six minutes now showed on the game clock. Again, Coach Woods called for "14 Right Option" for Darius to cut to the right. It worked like a charm. Again the offensive line of the Tigers seems to be dominating the Mad Dogs' defensive line. Darius was now in the open. Ron, again, made the touchdown-saving tackle, at the 8 yard-line. There was 5:37 remaining on the clock. To Tiger fans everywhere, South Panola now looked like the Tigers that they used to see before Game 1 occurred, moving the ball at will on the ground.

With 5:20 left in the game, Coach Woods called in another run play for Darius. He took out Willie and replaced him with Viktor. Coach Barkin kept in his tired starters. It was a bad decision. Deangelo handed it off to Darius and went, unopposed, into the end zone. TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS. An 8-yard scoring run by Darius Griffin, the tailback whose speed that the college scouts only dreamed out. Darius did a quick celebration, handed the ball off to the referee, and went to the sidelines. Once again, the crowd roared its approval. The fight song by South Panola played again as Ted added in the PAT with 5:14 left in the quarter. The score was now South Panola 15, Middleton 0. They moved the ball 87 yards in just ten plays as 4:53 was consumed from the clock.

Kim tried her best to pump up the crowd, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. Middleton has given up over 150 yards on the ground, and the first quarter isn't even over yet. This was going to be a long night for Mad Dog nation.

-- MID ball --

Ted kicked it off to Ron from the 5; Ron made up his way to the Mad Dog 34 where Blaise and Milhouse Van Houten met him.

Hopefully, we won't go 3 and out like we did last time. Ron prayed to himself to break the big one for a touchdown.

On 1st and 10 from the 34, Coach Barkin called for one of his draw plays to the left for Ron. Damon and Evan spread out their positions so that Number 7 would not be able to use the corners.

Ron got only 2 yards to the left before Jarred Wilkes gave him a Batesville welcome at the 36.

On 2nd and 8 from the 36, Brian was subbed out for the shotgun formation with Ladario Weathers, the other tailback. Ladario joined next to Stan. There was 4:39 left to play in the quarter. Ladario tried a draw play through the middle but was stuffed by Gordon Dill, the huge Tiger defensive tackle, at the line of scrimmage for no gain.

Third and 8 approached the Mad Dogs. Again, Coach Barkin was showing the shotgun formation. Three seconds showed on the play clock. He snapped the ball to Ron but he was hit hard instantly by Melvin. This caused the ball to come loose.

"Ball, ball" Coach Woods cried out. There was a huge dogpile of players, but Stan, with quick thinking, got the ball back at the 34. Again, nothing showed on that drive. The Tigers' defense had held up once again.

Time to go three and out for the Mad Dogs. David punted the ball to the Tiger 25 yard-line, a 41-yard punt, before it was downed by the Mad Dogs.

The Mad Dog fans were growing impatient.

--SP ball--

Three minutes and 22 seconds ticked on the game clock. South Panola had held Middleton without a first down.

On first and 10 from their own 25, Darius tried a run through the middle but was halted by TJ for a loss of 1 yard to the Tiger 24.

On 2nd and 11, Evan tried the same old blast play, and it netted them 4 more yards to the Tiger 28. Jimmie Hopkins and Ralph shared the tackle.

On 3rd and seven, instead of passing. Deangelo tried to keep it for himself. He netted just 5 yards on the play, just 2 yards shy of the first down on the 33. Eugene prevented him from converting.

The Tigers called in their punting unit for the first time tonight. The Middleton crowd found some reason to applaud for their defense. Ron was back to return. The Tiger knew how dangerous Number 7 was on returns in Game 1. Ash punted to the Mad Dog 36. As a heard of blue shirts were coming towards him, Ron signaled for the fair catch at the 36. The Tigers slowed down the charge and didn't hit him.

--MID ball--

Now on their third drive of the game, the Mad Dogs tried to get the offense going, down by 15 and with just 1:33 left in the first.

On first down, Stan called in "20 Middle", a fullback handoff to Brian. Stan barked the plays, and the ball was snapped. He handed it off to Brian. Marvin Young met him along with Jarred. Brian felt something broken in his leg at the Middleton 38. After the play was over, he grimaced in pain.

Ron came up to him, "Brian, what's wrong."

Brian screamed in pain, "It's my leg!! IT'S MY LEG!!!!"

Ron put his hands together "Timeout!! TIMEOUT!!" The clock stopped with 1:19 left in the period.

The Mad Dog medical staff came rushing towards the field as the Mad Dog players started to take a knee for their fallen team-mate. Brian was tended to by the staff. He grimaced in pain as the medical team walked him off the field. He still couldn't feel his leg. Both sides of the stadium gave him a warm round of applause. As the senior fullback was taken to the sidelines, Lance Jackson came in for the Mad Dogs at wide receiver. The game resumed its course.

After Brian's injury, on 2nd and 8, Stan called for a pass play and the Tigers were showing their nickel defense again. Stan dropped back to pass but couldn't find anyone in the open. He did not see Roger Klotz coming towards him from the right. Roger, with his 300-pound frame, took Stan down for an loss of 8 yards, a sack. Mad Dog nation could not believe this. Even a few boos were mixed in. The Tigers' applause quickly drowned out the negative feelings of the Mad Dog side. Thirty seconds now remained in the first quarter.

After Stan threw an incomplete pass to Milo, the Mad Dogs had to punt for the third time. Deangelo was back to return again. David, once again, showed his punting ability by drilling it deep into Tiger territory at the 15. Deangelo returned it to the Tiger 26. Weevil Underwood, the backup tight end, and Tracey Sketchit made the stop for the Mad Dogs. Twelve seconds were left.

--SP ball--

South Panola ended the quarter on a 3-yard run by Darius. TJ made the stop.

As the first quarter buzzer sounded, the score was: South Panola 15, Middleton 0.


	37. Game 2 Quarter 2: The Deangelo Show

As the second quarter began, the Tigers owned a 15-0 lead over the Mad Dogs.

On 2nd and 7, Evan went up the middle on a fullback run for only a gain of a yard to the 30. Ralph made sure he didn't break loose.

Then, 3rd and 6 came up. Instead of passing, Coach Woods decided that his favorite quarterback shall keep the ball himself and go for the first down. Deangelo broke the huddle in the usual I-formation with Evan and Darius behind him. Deangelo extended his arms forward and found a good hole to run through. He went into the secondary and picked up the first down. He picked up 16 yards on that play. Vince was credited with the tackle for the Mad Dogs.

On the next play, Deangelo called his own number again and went into Mad Dog territory at the 48. Eugene made the stop but he felt a stinging pain in his leg.

"OWWWWW!!!!!" Eugene screamed. The Mad Dogs were about to lose their best player on defense. Coach Barkin had to call a timeout with 10:19 left in the first half.

The medical staff, where Brian now laid down on a stretch bed, was called out to assist the senior linebacker off the field. Some of the Mad Dog and Tiger players took one knee down to pray for Eugene's safe return. He was escorted to the sidelines in pain. Kenny McCormick, number 52, replaced Eugene on the middle linebacker spot. It was hard enough that they lost Brian, but now Eugene, the heart of the defense? This was not a good day for a Mad Dog fan.

After Eugene left the field, play resumed.

On 2nd and 4, on Kenny's first play, Evan got the handoff from Deangelo. He found an open hole up the middle and picked up another Tiger first down to the Mad Dog 35. It was a gain of 13 yards and Ron and Lee had to combine on the stop. The Mad Dogs were on the verge of giving up 200 yards on the ground.

The next play saw Darius try to run through the middle, but he was stopped behind the line to the 37 for a loss of 2 yards by Greg.

On 2nd and 12, Deangelo kept the ball himself to the left side and found some nice running room for a gain of 8 on the play. Token made the stop.

Ash was then called in for Evan on this 3rd and 4. About 8:59 remained in the quarter. Deangelo then called in another blast play for Ash, his favorite play. He went through the middle. Thanks to a huge block by Dudley, he picked up 9 more yards to the Mad Dog 20 to move the sticks. The Tigers were now using power football.

Darius then picked up 3 more yards to the left before Doug Funnie brought him down on first down.

Second and 7 saw the Tigers run the football down the Mad Dogs' throat. Evan's blast play picked up 2 more yards as Mikey met him at the Mad Dog 15.

On 3rd and 5, with 7:28 left in the quarter, the Tiger coaches called in "4 Option Middle." As the play clock drained to 10 seconds, Deangelo snapped the ball and extended his arms forward. He gave the ball to Evan. At first, it seemed that Evan was trapped, but his 229-pound body shedded one tackler. Then, Ron was trying to drag him down, but Evan dived into the end done. The officials' hand shot up in the air. TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS. That score just knocked the wind out of the Mad Dog crowd.

Kim couldn't believe the events that she was witnessing. _The Mad Dogs have not been down by three touchdowns before_. Neither could the fans.

As Ted's point after sailed through the uprights with 7:07 left in the first half, the Tigers extended their lead to 22-0 over the Mad Dogs. The drive lasted for 11 plays and 71 yards and consumed over five minutes.

--MID ball--

Ted kicked the ball off to the Mad Dog 11. Ron wanted to return it all the way back. Unfortunately, he only got a 22-yard return to the Mad Dog 33 before Milhouse met him. Penalty flags then flew out.

_Oh no, what is it now?_ Ron feared that it was against the Mad Dogs.

It was against Middleton.

ILLEGAL BLOCK IN THE BACK, NUMBER 52 ON THE RECEIVING TEAM, IT IS A 10-YARD PENALTY FROM THE SPOT OF THE FOUL, FIRST DOWN.

Mad Dog fans booed at that call. Things were not going right at all for the Mad Dogs. The ball moved back to the 23.

Troy Bolton came in for the injured Brian at fullback. Stan barked the play that Coach Barkin called out. Ladario took the place of Ron at tailback.

On the Mad Dogs' first play of their drive. Ladario tried a counter play but was stuffed instantly by the familar Number 16 for the Tigers, Deangelo Young. He lost 3 yards on the play to the 20.

It was now 2nd and 13 with 6:40 left in the first half. Ron tried to run to the left side. Again, he was met with opposition by Damon and was pulled down at the 24 for a 4-yard pickup.

Stan dropped back to pass on 3rd and nine. He spotted a wide-open Carver. Carver caught Stan's pass at the 37 and got out of bounds at the 40. It was the first time that the Mad Dogs moved the chains.

_Finally, _Kim thought, _we can get something going._

Unfortunately, she spoke too soon. On first and 10 from the Middleton 40, Stan tried to find an open reciever but was sacked for the second time in the ball game, this time by Jarred for a loss of 10 yards. The Mad Dogs were going backwards on the ground.

On a long 2nd and 20, Ron was finally able to have at least some running room. He was able to pick up 11 yards to the Mad Dog 41 before Evan and Dontrell Avery comboed in on the stop for South Panola.

With 5:13 remaining in the half, Stan tried to find Carver but his pass was broken up by Hector, so the Mad Dogs were forced to punt, again, for the fourth time.

David punted from his 41 to the Tiger 22, where Deangelo was waiting to return. Deangelo fielded it at the 22 and swerved by one set of Mad Dog defenders. There was a huge running lane in front of Deangelo. He simply turned on the jets and was off to the races.

"HERE COMES DEANGELO YOUNG!!" the South Panola PA exclaimed.

"TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS"

Ron could only watch in horror as the all-purpose quarterback went into the end-zone for another Tiger touchdown, this time on a 78-yard punt return. The referee's hands shot up in the air. All the star tailback could do was to pound his fist on the bench. The Mad Dogs were not enjoying this night at all. _Damn! Why can't we contain number 16?? WHY? _Ron yelled to himself. It feels like the Mad Dogs defense was frozen, just unable to do anything to stop this juggernaut offense.

In the visiting press box, John heard the sound of shoes stomping the ground. It was from the Middleton assistant coach, Coach Taylor, in frustration.

Kim was at a loss of words. The Mad Dogs have never been down by four touchdowns before. Her worst-case scenario of playing her harmonica in a sad tone was coming true right before her eyes. The Mad Dog cheerleaders, including Kim, tried to pump up the crowd in the first half, but, again, South Panola knocked the wind out of them.

Coach Barkin was very angry.

Meanwhile, Tiger fans celebrated as the fight song continued to play. Ted added the point after with 4:47 left in the half. The scoreboard now read: South Panola 29, Middleton 0.

--MID Ball--

As the kickoff teams made their way to the field, the Mad Dogs had to find some spark quick to get themselves out of this 29-point hole.

Ted kicked it off to Carver at the 7; Carver returned it to the 22 for 15 yards as Blaise and Chazz Princeton gained credit for the stop for South Panola.

Middleton began its next drive at the 22, hoping to get something started.

On first down, Coach Barkin showed the power I formation with Ladario, Troy, and Ron behind Stan. Stan handed the ball off to Ron up the middle. He found a good block by Devon and picked up an 8-yard gain to the 30. Evan made the stop.

The clock now read 4:18 left in the half and Middleton had only one timeout left. The Mad Dogs showed that same formation. Stan handed the ball off to Ladario and picked up 16 more yards to the Mad Dog 46. Dontrell made the stop. A Mad Dog first down.

_There's still hope,_ Kim thought.

On first down, Ron tried a run up the middle but was stuffed by Evan and Russell for a loss of 1 yard to the 45.

Then on second down, Coach Barkin called in "7 Counter Middle". Ron would have to run a counter up the middle through the heart of the defense. 3:31 remained on the clock. Stan snapped the ball with 2 seconds left on the play clock. Ron found a rare open hold and went up the middle and broke loose. Only Tristian Gray brought him down at the South Panola 31. It was a gain of 24 yards and a Mad Dog first down.

Kim cheered on for Ron with her golden pom-poms, _Yes, that's my Ron._ The cheerleaders led on a chant "Let's go, Unstoppable!! Let's go, Unstoppable!!"

On first down after Ron's big run. Stan did a quarterback draw and picked up 3 more yards to the Tiger 28. About three minutes remained in the half. Bart and Jarred shared the tackle.

Second and 7 for the Mad Dogs saw Ron as a wide receiver. Barkin called in "7 deep route". Stan dropped back to pass and found Ron to the Tiger 11. He ran out-of-bounds to stop the clock at 2:17. Kim and the cheerleaders continued to cheer on their most favorite player on the team.

On the next play, however, it changed the momentum for good. Stan was hit hard at the Tiger 13 by Marvin and lost the football. Evan scooped it up and returned it 9 yards to the Tiger 22. Ron made the stop, but it didn't matter. South Panola has forced a turnover on the Mad Dogs. That one chance of scoring has ended.

The Middleton fans groaned in continuing frustration. Kim's golden pom-poms were in a downward stance. The Mad Dogs have never been in a situation in which their opponent has complete control of the game. Their sitch was becoming worse by the minute.

--SP ball--

After the turnover, the Tigers continued to milk down the first half clock with 2:08 left.

On first down, Darius went up the middle to pick up 6 yards to the Tiger 28 before Kenny was able to bring him down. The chances for a Mad Dog win were getting dimmer and dimmer.

On 2nd and 4, Deangelo tried his quarterback draw to the left but was unable to find any good holes and was stopped for no gain by Doug and TJ. If that wasn't enough, another Mad Dog was down. This time, it was Greg Goldberg, the senior defensive end. The Mad Dogs had to spend their last timeout with 1:11 remaining in the half for the injury. Their sideline was now becoming a medical ward. Greg was suffering from a bruised hand. He would be out of the game and the series for the next two games. His backup, Butters Stotch, took his place.

On 3rd and 4. Evan tried his usual blast play but was pulled down from behind by Jimmy for a loss of 2. The Tigers had to punt.

Ash's punt traveled 37 yards to the Mad Dog 33. Ron was waiting for the return but he only advanced 2 yards before Viktor easily brought him down.

--MID ball--

Middleton had the ball with 50 seconds left with no timeouts.

On 1st and 10 from the Mad Dog 35, Stan's sack problem became worse. He suffered his fourth sack of the ballgame, this time by Russell. He was brought down for a loss of 7 by number 43 for the Tigers at the 28. The Tiger subs on the sidelines continued to pump up the crowd while the Mad Dog fans suffered a case of severe disappointment with their team. Coach Barkin was not in a happy mood and he will have a long speech to deliver to his troops during the halftime show.

With no timeouts and 24 seconds remaining, Stan had to drop back for a Hail Mary pass. He threw the ball with all of his might, and it landed ... into the hands of Dontrell Avery for the Tigers. An interception by Dontrell at the Tiger 41; Dontrell returned it to the Tiger 49 with 11 seconds remaining.

--SP ball--

On first down, Deangelo handed it off to Evan up the middle for no gain as Ralph made the stop, but it didn't matter.

The two teams headed towards their respective locker rooms.

The halftime score was: South Panola 29, Middleton 0.


	38. Halftime Deficit

As the halftime shows started up, the PA announced what happened so far in Game 2.

"Your Tigers of South Panola lead the Mad Dogs of Middleton 29 to 0. In terms of rushing for your Tigers, Deangelo Young had 123 yards on eight carries and one touchdown; Darius Griffin had 76 yards on nine carries and one touchdown; Evan Nordan had 35 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown; and Ash Ketchum had 13 yards on two carries. Altogether, your Tigers have 247 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns."

"For the Mad Dogs on the ground, Ron Stoppable had 46 yards on eight carries; Ladario Weathers had 13 yards on three carries; Brian Williams had no yards on two carries; and Stan Marsh had lost 24 yards on five carries. In all the Mad Dogs have 35 yards on 18 carries. Marsh was also sacked four times.

"In passing for the Tigers, Young completed his only pass for 14 yards to Willie Wiggins."

"For the Mad Dogs, Marsh was two of six for 33 yards and one interception. Stoppable caught one pass for 17 yards and Carver Descartes caught one pass for 16 yards."

"In all, your Tigers have 261 yards on 30 plays while the Mad Dogs have only 68 yards on 24 plays."

He then proceeded to announce the halftime shows for both the marching bands.

In the visiting press box, Felix was caught by surprise at how the Tigers were able to not only contain Number 7 with relative ease but also accumulating almost 250 yards rushing in the first half. In the 15 games that he had done stats for, he has never seen his team go down by that much. John went ahead to buy some food from the nearby concession stand.

The Mad Dog crowd still had stunned looks. Monique, who attends all of the Mad Dog games and was one of their loudest fans, hardly said a word. Joss Possible, Kim's cousin, was also in attendance. Even she couldn't believe the horrible performance the Mad Dogs were putting up in the first half in Game 2.

Bonnie buried her hands in her face. It was like a nightmare that would never end. _How could we lose by this much? _A flood of thoughts came to her mind. She had seen the Mad Dogs fall behind, but by only small margins, but this was a new experience for her.

Camille was not a happy camper when she realized that Middleton was falling behind by 29 points.

The most shocked of the 22 Mad Dog cheerleaders was Kim. Ron was having one of the worst performances, being held to under 50 yards rushing and that he hasn't scored a touchdown at all. She knew the chances of the Mad Dogs winning Game 2 were very slim. She, too, has witnessed the Mad Dogs lose but they were by close margins. This was the first time that she had seen the Mad Dogs being held under 100 yards of offense and being shut out. The image of her playing the harmonica on the long road home now sounded like a reality. She barely even touched the nachoes that she bought from the food stand.

In the South Panola locker room, Coach Woods remarked, "I've seen a lot of good things tonight on offense, defense, and special teams. But nothing makes me more happy than the fact that Number 7 has not reached the end zone tonight so far." The Tiger players, including Deangelo, Bart and Damon, cheered and hollered. "But we still have one more half of football to play. We cannot afford to slip up. We cannot and WILL NOT allow Number 7 to reach the end zone." He turned to his running backs and offensive line, the major reason for his success. "We're doing very well in terms of the running game. Offensive line, you're doing good as well. I want to see the same performance in the second half. I want to see you all act as team, like you did in the first half. This type of performance will help us win ballgames. ALL RIGHT, I want to see on three"

All the Tigers echoed, "1.....2.......3 TIGERS!!!!!" They prepared to suit up for the second haf.

Back in the visitors locker room, Coach Barkin significantly raised his voice.

"What the hell is wrong with you. You are acting like a bunch of damn fools in the first half and what do we have to show for it: over 200 yards given up on the ground, four sacks, two turnovers, and we are behind 29 to nothing. We need to get our heads back in the game!! We cannot, and I MEAN WE CANNOT make any more mistakes. We have to get back onto the field and prove to the Tigers that we mean BUSINESS. We have to contain number 16 out there. We either win together as a team or we lose together as a team and WHAT DO WE WANT!!!

"WE WANT A WIN, COACH!!!" the Mad Dog players barked.

The players and coaches did the usual Mad Dog Chant and returned to the field for the second half.


	39. Game 2 Quarter 3: Collapse of Morale

As the teams took to the field in the second half, different thought were running in their minds. For the Tigers, they want to pull away with a win and even the series. For the Mad Dogs, they needed something going on offense.

Since South Panola got the ball first to start off the game, the Mad Dogs would get the ball to start off the second half.

-- MID Ball --

Ted kicked off the ball from the 40. It was fielded at the Mad Dog 6 by Ron. He was able to break one tackle and got to the 31 where Blaise made the special teams tackle, a 26-yard return.

The Mad Dogs, which had a paltry 68 yards of total offense, started off from their own 31 on 1st and 10. Coach Barkin called in a pass play "7 Deep Right". With 11 ticks on the play clock, Stan barked the signals and threw the ball in Ron's direction. Dontrell, the Tiger who made the pick before the first half ended, got there first and deflected the ball. It was an incomplete pass by Stan and it was now second down.

On second down, Stan then handed it off to Ron on a counter play. Tired and frustrated, Ron was finally able to spot a narrow hole in the Tiger defense and ran out-of-bounds at the Mad Dog 41. The officials then stopped the clock for the measurement and the referee signaled that it was a Mad Dog first down. Kim raised her pom-poms in the air as the sticks now moved to the 41.

However, the Tigers bared their powerful defense on the Mad Dogs. On first and 10, Ron tried to find something to the right side but Gordon and Bart broke through the Mad Dog offensive line and dragged him down for a 3-yard loss.

On 2nd and 13, with 10:46 left in the period, Stan tried to drop back to pass. Unable to find anything open, the junior quarterback used his feet and was able to pick up 5 yards to the 43 before Damon got to him.

As a 3rd and 8 situation appeared, Barkin called in his shotgun formation. The Tigers showed their nickel formation. About 10:18 remained in the third quarter. Middleton needed to do something quick. The play clock drained to 8 seconds before Stan snapped the ball. He appeared to drop back to pass, then gave the delay off to Ron. It did not fool the Tigers at all. Three blue jerseys swarmed over Number 7. He only picked up 2 yards as Bart got to him first. The Middleton crowd became very impatient and frustrated. Barkin threw out his frustration on the inefficiency of his offense. _I would be insane to go for it on fourth down, but if I did, the Tigers would score again. Grrr!! I'll just have to punt it away._

He did so. On 4th and 6 from the 45, Barkin sent in his punting unit for the fifth time in the game. David punted the ball away. The Tigers got away from the football and it eventually bounced to the 14 where the Tigers will start their next drive.

--SP ball--

The Tigers, now enjoying their 29-0 cushion, began their next drive at the 14 with 9:51 left in the period. The Mad Dogs' defense had been beaten up with two of their starters out. On first down, Deangelo started it off by keeping it himself up the middle. He picked up 3 yards on the play before Kenny got to him.

On second down and 7 from their own 17, Deangelo kept it himself again and picked up 6 yards. Butters Stotch, seeing his first action tonight, and Jimmy combined with the takedown for the Mad Dogs to set up a very manageable 3rd and 1 situation.

Coach Woods then swapped Darius for Dontrell for this conversion. He also brought in Viktor for Willie as an extra blocker. With 8:41 remaining, Deangelo barked the signals and handed it off to Dontrell. The offensive line held, Dontrell found a huge hole and picked up the first down ... and a lot more. He was now into the secondary. Ron was able to push him out of bounds, but not before Dontrell picked up 23 yards on that play ... on a third and one conversion. The Tigers were on the move again at their own 46.

On the next play after Dontrell's big run, Deangelo got in another carry to add to his totals. He went around the right side, followed his blockers, and picked up 8 more yards as Token made the stop in Middleton territory, at the 46.

A short 2nd and 2 conversion came up with 7:54 left in the quarter. Darius swapped back in for Dontrell. Deangelo barked the signals and gave it off to his favorite five-star back. Darius dived into a pile of white jerseys. With the help of forward progress, Darius picked up another Tiger first down at the Mad Dog 44. Mikey tried to prevent him from making the first down, but could not.

Then, on the next play, Coach Woods called in "18 Option trap". Ash came in. The fullback/punter swapped out Evan at fullback. As the play clock dwindled to six seconds, the ball was snapped.

The Tigers offensive line, which retained its dominance throughout the game, opened a huge hole up for Ash. He was now into the open field. All Ash was thinking in his head was touchdown. The only thing that stood between him and his goal was the beaten up jersey of number 7 in the middle of the field. Ron tried to lunge his body forward to bring the 225-pound fullback down, but Ash stiff-armed him to the ground. All Ron got was mere air. He watched in total humiliation as Ash crossed the end zone. TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS. Ash did a cross with his hands, as if he got a strike in bowling then handed the ball to the referee. It was now 7:22 left in the quarter. Coach Woods then called a two-point conversion. He brought Dontrell and Darius as the backs behind Deangelo. He also brought in Cecil Jacobs as the third tight end. Deangelo handed it off to Dontrell. The Mad Dogs tried to stop him, but they couldn't. The offensive line was far too strong as Dontrell ran into the endzone for the extra two points. The score was now: South Panola 37, Middleton 0.

John heard even more pounding of the ceiling from above the visitors' press box. The coaches were clearly angry with their players.

Then, the starters did something with their hands. They raised up four fingers in the air. Coach Woods knew what this meant: the starters were done and needed their rest for Game 3 at Middleton High. The starters were given a standing ovation by the Tiger faithful as they returned to the sidelines. Deangelo, Evan, Bart, Darius and the starters did not play for the rest of the night. The second-team Tiger offense and defense was ready to come in and get in some playing time.

While witnessing all of these events, Kim now knew in her heart that her Mad Dogs were now not only defeated but humilated by every single term of the definition. The red-headed cheerleader could not believe the complete collapse of morale among the Mad Dog sidelines and the squad as well. The Middleton crowd, disgusted, that their offense has been held, started to stand up from the bleachers and headed for the exits. The Tigers' constant play of the fight song was seared into her brain.

Ron was even more frustrated as well. _This is undeniably the worst football game of my life_, the tailback thought as he held down his head in shame.

Instead of Ron returning the kicks, Dash Parr replaced him.

--MID Ball--

As Ted kicked it off to the Middleton 1, the return specialist moved the ball forward to the Mad Dog 24 where Rashad Barksdale, a backup cornerback, made the tackle.

The Middleton starters still remained on the field with 7:10 remaining in the third.

The Tigers now swapped out all of their starters and replaced it with the second-team defense, led by Nelson Muntz, Vincent Crabbe, Blaise, Germichael Diggs, Tristan Gray, Hector, and Chazz. Coach Woods refers to these guys as "Tigers of the Future."

On first down from the Mad Dog 24, the Middleton players were trying to swap out when flags flew everywhere.

_Oh no_, Ron thought as he was heading towards the huddle, _it's against us_.

His fears were confirmed:

SUBSTITUTION INFRACTION ON THE OFFENSE, IT IS A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN

After the substitution penalty, the ball was moved to the 19.

On the first play, Stan tried to keep it himself. The quarterback found a good gain of 4 yards as Spike Hammersmith and Hector, from his cornerback position, came in on the tackle.

On 2nd and 11, Ron tried a run up the middle but was, once again, stopped instantly by the backup defensive end, Justin Wilkes, the 265-pound younger brother of Jarred, for only a 1-yard gain. Ron felt like that he was seeing double tonight.

Stan dropped back to pass on the 3rd and 10 play but Blaise quickly batted it down harmlessly to the artificial turf with 5:58 left to play in the quarter.

Coach Barkin couldn't believe his eyes. His team now had to punt for the sixth time in the ball game. Both punting units came to the field as Blaise was ready to return it. David punted the ball in the air. Blaise fielded it at the Tiger 35. He advanced for 4 yards to the 39 before Troy was able to bring him down.

Kim now started to hold her head down in shame, her golden pom-poms now faced downwards in defeat. In fact, most of the Mad Dog cheerleader were in the same way as well.

--SP ball--

With 5:43 remaining in the third. Coach Woods turned to his backup quarterback, Ray "Voodoo" Tatum.

Ray looked up at his head coach with determination, "Coach, I'm ready."

Coach Woods patted him on Ray's pads. "All right, lets get out there. Send in the second offense."

The second-string Tigers went in. New faces of sophomores and juniors were excited that they would see their first action in a 37-0 ballgame.

Number 9 was now under center, instead of number 16. The Mad Dog defensive starters were still on the field.

On first and 10 from the 39. Coach Woods decided to call in a pass play. To everyone's surprise, Ray dropped back to pass. He tried to find his intended receiver, Anthony Butler, but his pass fell incomplete.

With a second down and 10 for the Tigers, Ray decided to get everyone involved in the game. He handed it off to the junior backup tailback, Ethan Robinson up the middle. Ethan, like most of the Tiger runners tonight, found a hole in the Mad Dog defense. He picked up the first down at midfield for an 11-yard gain. A frustrated and beaten down Ron and Token contributed on the stop.

Coach Woods recalled Ethan and put in Rickey Griffin, Darius's younger brother, at tailback. On first down, Rickey picked up a good block from Jonatahan Bailey, a backup guard, and added 9 more yards to the Tigers' ever-growing rushing totals. Kenny prevented him from making the first down.

On the short 2nd and one from the Mad Dog 41, Ricky tried to pick up another first down, but was stuffed by Butters for a 4-yard loss to the Mad Dog 45. Butters' parents cheered him on, even though Middleton fans were leaving the stadium.

After Ray threw an incomplete pass to Anthony on 3rd and 5, the Tigers were forced to punt.

Ash punted the ball to the Mad Dog 12; where Milo was waiting for the return. He picked up 12 yards to the 24 before Todd Snap, the third-team fullback for the Tigers, stopped him.

--MID ball--

Now with 3:46 left in the third, there was no hope for a Mad Dog win. About half of the 3,000 fans on the visiting sides now left.

Ladario replaced Ron at tailback.

On first down from the 24, Ladario didn't go anywhere as Vincent stopped him at the line of scrimmage.

On second and 10, Stan called in a pass play to his fullback, Troy. He found Troy for a 3-yard gain to the 27. Germichael Diggs prevented him from making any more yardage.

After Stan was unable to complete his third-and-7 pass to Milo, the Mad Dogs had to punt for the seventh time in the game. David, now gaining far more yardage in punting than his team has in total offense, punted it away. Ray fielded the punt at the 32 and got to the Tiger 41 before the backup safety for the Mad Dogs, Jonesy Garcia, made the stop.

--SP ball--

With 2:25 left, the Tigers, with Voodoo Tatum, came back onto the field.

Coach Barkin, now understanding that he is going to give some angry words at his team's failures, sent in some of his second-team Mad Dog defense. The starters have already given up almost 350 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

On first down from the 41, Ray tried his best Deangelo-impersenation. He tried to keep the ball himself to the left, but instead found the waiting arms of the backup tackle, the 313-pound Ladarius Jones, for a 3-yard loss.

Second down saw Ray complete a pass to a backup wide receiver, Kendrick McGee, for a 5-yard gain to the Tiger 43. Ron and one of the backup cornerbacks, Jamie Davis, contributed with the stop. It was clear to Ron that he was more and more frustrated.

Ricky ran on a blast play on 3rd-and-8 and picked up 4 yards before Chalkey Studebaker, a backup linebacker, brought him down at the 47. Three-and-out for the Tigers, but it didn't matter. There were 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter and the Tigers were shutting out the Mad Dogs, 37 to 0.

Ash punted to the Mad Dog 26, only a 27 yard punt.

--MID ball--

Coach Barkin, frustrated by Stan's poor performance as a quarterback who has been sacked four times and committed two turnovers, sent in his backup quarterback, number 10, Axel Brodie. Axel was a better runner than Stan, but needed more experience in passing the football.

The second-string defense for the Tigers remained on the field and, although Ron was still on the field, the second-team Middleton offense took to the field with Axel under center.

Twenty seconds remained in the quarter. The only thing that Axel did was to hand it off to the backup fullback, Troy. He was hit hard behind the line of scrimmage by Germichael and was driven backwards. Troy lost 4 yards on his very first carry.

Middleton fans continued to head for the exits and the Mad Dog players and cheerleaders sat with dejected faces. This was one of the worst losses on the road by the Mad Dogs in 3 years.

The buzzer signaled the end of the third quarter and the Tiger fans exploded with applause and standing ovations.

The score at the end of the third quarter read: South Panola Tigers 37, Middleton Mad Dogs 0.


	40. Game 2 Quarter 4: Blowout

I don't own Gatorade or the brand.

As the fourth quarter of the second game began, most of the Mad Dog fans have already gone to their cars to take the long and hard four and a half hour drive home. Most of them had tears in their eyes. They could not believe that this lopsided defeat has happened to them. Only approximately 1100 faithful fans still remained in the visiting bleachers, willing to support the Mad Dogs to the very end.

The final quarter started when Ron got the handoff from Axel on 2nd and 14. He fought hard to pick up 3 yards before Milhouse and and Justin combined on the stop.

It was now third down with 11 yards to go. With five seconds on the play clock, Axel snapped the ball and tried to scramble to his left. The backup quarterback picked up only 6 yards to the 31, well shy of the first down. Chazz did not allow him to gain the first. The Mad Dogs would now have to go three and out for the eighth time in the ballgame.

Ron's frustration of the Mad Dogs' inabiltity to move to the ball finally reached its breaking point. As he returned to the sidelines, he took one glance at the scoreboard, threw his helmet in disgust, and took his seat on the metal bench. He put the Middleton towel over his face and screamed at the top of his lungs. He was done for the night. It was, by far, the worst performance that he's ever played in a football game.

His screams caught the attention of Kim, who stopped cheering at almost the end of the third quarter. All she had to do was to look at a beaten, turf-stained number 7 jersey with the covered screaming face of Ron Stoppable and she can see how the Mad Dogs were losing badly to the Tigers, and there was nothing she can do about it.

David punted to the Tiger 17 for a 52-yard punt. It was downed.

--SP ball--

The Tigers now had the ball with 11:04 left in the game at their own 17.

The second-team offense of the Tigers was already established. Coach Barkin, frustrated with the way that his team has been playing, sent in his second-string defense. The new faces in for the Mad Dogs included Oliver Oken, Wyatt Williams, Jamie, Dean Thomas, Butters, Chalkey, Kyle, Cory Baxter, and Tracey. Middleton was clearly in garbage mode.

Ray was still the quarterback for the Tigers and Todd Snap was the new fullback for the Tigers.

Blaise and Todd lined up behind Ray for the first play of the drive. Ray gave the ball off to Todd up the middle and, with good blocking, picked up 8 yards on the play to the Tiger 25. Chalkey and Tracey combined on the stop for the Mad Dogs.

That would set up a 2nd and 2 with 10:39 left in the game. On that play, Ray continued to grind the clock as he handed it off to Blaise, seeing his first carry on offense. Blaise spotted a hole in the right side and went to pick up the first down and even went into the secondary before Oliver, also seeing his first action on defense as a Mad Dog, made the stop at the Tiger 38. He gained 13 yards and moved the sticks.

But, as the Tigers tried to plan out their next play, the play clock was dwindling fast and as Ray was about to snap it off, it reached zero. Flags flew everywhere

DELAY OF GAME ON THE OFFENSE, 5 YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN.

Instead of the ball being spotted at the Tiger 38, it moved back to the Tiger 33.

Red Herring came in as the new tackle to replace Jadarious McMurry for the Tigers, and Rickey swapped in for Blaise at tailback.

On 1st and 15 after the penalty, Ray carried the ball himself for a gain of 7 before Jamie brought him down at the Tiger 40.

With 9:41 left in the game, the Tigers prepared to run their next play when flags flew everywhere again, indicating that it was against South Panola

ILLEGAL PROCEDURE ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 64 ON THE PLAY, IT IS A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL 2nd DOWN

David Pell, the backup guard, was flagged for the illegal procedure and the ball moved back to the 35.

It was now second and 13 for the Tigers with 9:23 left. Jonesy Garcia replaced Tracey as the Mad Dogs went into the nickel defense. Coach Woods called in "9 Option Right" in which Ray is going to keep the option himself to the right. As the play clock wore down to 4 seconds. Ray snapped the ball from Jonathan Bailey. He kept the ball himself and, with the help of key blocks from Viktor and J.R. Wagner, was able to spring free. He was into the open field. The Mad Dogs did not expect Ray to be in the open.

"HERE COMES VOODOO TATUM", the PA announcer yelled as Ray crossed midfield into Mad Dog territory. Only Jonesy and Wyatt prevented Tatum from doing any further damage to the Mad Dogs' defense. They stopped him at the Middleton 28 but not before Ray picked up 37 yards on the run. The Mad Dogs have now given up over 400 yards on the ground to the Tigers. Even the Tigers' second-team offense was tearing up the Mad Dogs.

Even more subs started to see some playing time for the Tigers. Cecil Jacobs, the third-string tight end, subbed in for Viktor and Scut Farkas, the third-string guard took place of J.R. with nine minutes left in the game.

The next play after Ray's gashing run was Rickey picking up 5 yards up the middle to the Mad Dog 23 before Tracey stopped him. Coach Barkin knew that his defense was weak against the run, but never has it been exposed over and over again like the Tigers did tonight

On 2nd and 5, Blaise came back in for Rickey with 8:38 left in the game. Jackson Stewart came in to replace Chalkey at linebacker for the Mad Dogs. Ray ran the same play that netted him the 37-yard gain earlier. As the ball was snapped, he, like many of the Tiger runners, found an open hole. This was courtesy of Scut. He ran through the Mad Dogs defense easily. Kyle was player who made the touchdown-saving tackle at the 6.

It did not help. Ray went into the power formation with a new extra tight end, Biff Tannen. He subbed in for Tristian. Todd and Blaise remained behind Ray for this play. The play clock now drained to five ticks before the ball was snapped. Ray handed it off to Blaise as the Tigers offensive line, once again, stood their ground. Blaise ran around right end and crossed the goal-line, untouched. TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS, the PA yelled. Blaise has scored on a 6-yard touchdown run. As the Tigers' fight song echoed throughout the stadium, and more Mad Dog fans headed for the exits, Ron uncovered his face at the towel, took a partial look at the new score, and screamed even more. He felt like that he not only let his teammates and his coaches down, but he also let his favorite red-headed cheerleader down as well. He shamely put the towel back on.

Kim first looked at Ron and then at her fellow cheerleaders. They were all going to anticipate a long road trip home. There was no school spirit present at all. She started to get isolated tears in her eyes.

After Ted added the PAT, the score was now: South Panola Tigers 44, Middleton Mad Dogs 0. Eight minutes and two seconds remained on the game clock. It has been all South Panola from the time of the opening kickoff. Coach Barkin threw his clipboard on the ground.

--MID ball--

Ted, now with new faces on his kickoff team, kicked the ball off to the 5. The third-string Mad Dog tailback, Chad Danforth, returned it 18 yards to the Mad Dog 23 where Draco Malfoy and Rakim Austin made the stop.

Coach Woods was proud of his second-team defense of holding the Mad Dogs to without a point. He decided that now was the time to bring in the third-string Tiger defense, which was filled up with sophomores and freshmen. They were led by Eric Cartman, Trent Boyett, Gregory Goyle, Draco, and Junior Silverio. Coach Woods decided to give these young men some playing time as well. He recalled his second-team defense and put in his third-team defense.

Coach Barkin decided to play some garbage time as well with his offense, putting in his second-team offense as well. Axel remained as the Mad Dog quarterback. These new faces of the Mad Dog offensive line included Boomer Bledsoe, Seamus Finnegan, Ash Bolden, Ray Hughes, and Marcus Belby.

The majority of the Mad Dog crowd continued to dissipate. Some of the Tiger fans left because their team was far ahead while the diehard South Panola fans and students remained in the home bleachers.

On the first play of the drive, Axel handed it up the middle to Dwayne Robertson, the second-team tailback. Dwayne was abel to pick up 2 yards before Trent and Eric combined on their first stop for the Tigers.

It was now 2nd-and-8 at the Mad Dog 25, Axel again gave the handoff to Dwayne up the middle and he got 4 yards on the carry to the 29 before Junior recorded his first tackle of the night.

As a 3rd-and-4 conversion rolled around, the Tigers called their first timeout of the half with 6:57 remaining in the game because there were issues with the play clock.

When the Tigers finished up their timeout, play resumed.

Axel handed the ball off to Dwayne for a third consecutive time, and he picked up the Mad Dog first down and 12 yards, their first one since the beginning of the third quarter, and a few more yards to the Mad Dog 41 where Rakim tackled him there.

On the next play, Axel called his own number and swerved around the third-stringers and picked up 19 more yards and ran out-of-bounds into South Panola territory, at the 40. About 6:16 remained in the game.

After Axel's run, he tried to pass on first down but it fell short and was intended for the second-string wide receiver, Pete Ross.

Then, flags flew everywhere as the Mad Dog offense tried to run a play.

ILLEGAL PROCEDURE ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 50. IT'S A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL SECOND DOWN.

Boomer Bledsoe committed the penalty.

After the penalty moved the ball back to the Tiger 45, subs continued to pour in on both sides. Jimmie Zara was replaced by Terrell Nesbitt, the younger brother of Ladrecius Nesbitt, and Chad subbed in for Dwayne at tailback for the Mad Dogs. The Tigers replaced Ray with Kesrick Humphrey at strong safety. The game clock now read 5:55 left in the game and 8 on the play clock. Axel dropped back to pass and he found his target, one of the Tweebs, Tim Possible. Tim caught Axel's pass at the 35 and moved down to the Tiger 27 where he was met by Kesrick and Timothy Davis. The Mad Dogs moved the sticks. As Tim's name was annouced by the South Panola PA, James gave an applause for his son, even though there were now only 600 Middleton fans and students left in the stadium, plus the band.

On the next play, Jimmie went in for Christopher John. Axel gave the ball to Chad up the middle and picked up 11 yards to the Tiger 16 and another Mad Dog first down before Laroyis Thomas made the stop.

Zeke Baylor then replaced Chad at tailback for the next play with 5:14 left. The first-and-10 play was when Axel gave the ball off to Zeke to the right guard. He was able to pick up 7 yards to the Tiger 9 before he was stopped by Rakim.

Finally, on 2nd-and-3 from the 9, Axel called his own number. He went around, followed his blocks to the left side, and crossed the goal-line for Middleton. For 43 minutes and 21 seconds, the Mad Dogs have been shut out by the Tigers' defense. The PA now said "Touchdown, Middleton" in an unimpressive voice. Now, with 4:39 left, the Mad Dogs finally averted the shutout. Charlie added his first PAT of the game and lead was now: South Panola 44, Middleton 7.

Some of the Mad Dog cheerleaders did a few acrobatic moves. Kim did a couple of hanstands and Bonnie did a few acrobatic moves, but nothing more than that. South Panola has controlled this game from the beginning.

--SP ball--

Even newer players were beginning to come in from both sides, especially among the kicking teams as they took to the field.

Charlie kicked the ball off to Ray deep at the Tiger 1; Ray shedded one tackler before being brought down by Gerald Johanssen, a third-sting cornerback, for the Mad Dogs at the 29. It was a 28 yard return.

Ray returned under center with some new faces, including Moe Dixon at tailback and Ricky Armstrong at wide receiver. Even Scut, Red, and Eric were playing on the offensvie line as well.

The Mad Dogs brought in Chris Griffin as the third-string lineman, Craig Tucker as a third-string defensive end, and Gerald as the third-string corner,

On 1st and 10 from the Tiger 29. Ray kept the ball himself and picked up another 11 yards to the Tigers' running totals before Jackson was able to stop him. The Mad Dogs have now surrendered 450 yards on the ground to the Tigers.

On the next play, the Tigers committed their first, and only turnover, of the game. Ray handed the ball off to Moe, who usually sees very limited time on the playing field. Moe was hit by Kyle and the ball jarred loose from his hands at the Tiger 37. Butters recovered the fumble for the Mad Dogs. He outran the Tigers offense for a Middleton touchdown, a 37-yard fumble recovery return. "Touchdown, Middleton, by Leopold Stotch." The Stotch parents, who were one of the few die-hard fans still left in the visitors' stands, cheered him on and clapped as he crossed the goalline. Kim cheered Butters on for a little bit with her pom-poms, but Ron still screamed underneath that towel. Kim felt defeated as well. After Charlie's PAT, the score was cut to 44-14 in favor of the Tigers with 3:57 remaining in the game.

--SP ball--

Charlie kicked the ball off to the Tiger 2. A new face came in to return the kickoffs and to be the third-string quarterback for the rest of the game. Xavier Connor, entered into the contest. He returned the ball to the Tiger 23 where Donny Dion and Josh Mankey combined on the stop.

Coach Woods, with 3:48 remaining in the game then called in his third-team offense. Xavier was the new quarterback for the Tigers. In addition to Xavier, there were even newer faces in the Tigers lineup as well such as: Bordario Jackson at tailback, Montez Scott at wide receiver, and Chumley Huffington and Neville Longbottom on the offensive line. Moe lined up as the fourth fullback for the Tigers.

Coach Barkin also swapped in for some of the third team defense as well. In addition to Josh and Gerald, there was also Bridon Guermo, Clyde Donovan, and Buzz Winters for the Mad Dogs.

On first down from the 23, Moe got the carry up the middle and picked up a gain of 2 on the play. Bridon and Clyde got the stop.

On second and 8 from the 25, Xavier called his own number and picked up 5 yards to the 30 before Josh took him down.

Then the Tigers were flagged for a delay of game penalty that backed them up 5 yards

On third and 8 after the penalty, Bordaio tried a run through the middle but got no yards on play as Craig and Buzz met him at the line of scrimmage.

The Tigers went 3-and-out as Ash punted the ball off to the Mad Dog 48 for only 27 yards. The Tigers also killed time off the clock. Kim's tears went on and off. All Ron could do was to hang his head in shame.

--MID ball--

Coach Barkin decided to send in his third-string quarterback, JD McCoy, with 1:57 left in the game. He also sent in Jeremy Finch as the third-string tight end and a few players on the third-string Mad Dog offensive line: Kevin McCormick, Fulton Reed, and Donny Rottweiler.

Coach Woods then empied out his entire roster by putting in Erwin Lawson, Troy McGinty, Casey Harris, Percy Femur, Rashad Gleaton, and Mario Lee.

JD lined up behind Jimmie and Chad.

On first down from the Mad Dog 48, Jimmie went up the middle on the fullback run. He picked up 3 yards before Casey and Erwin met him at the Tiger 49.

The Mad Dogs had to call in their first timeout with 1:48 remaining. Coach Woods replaced Kesrick and Eric with Red and Montez.

After their timeout was finished, JD handed the ball off to Chad and Chad picked up 8 yards and the Middleton first down as Mario and Rashad worked together to stop him at the Tiger 41.

Then, the Tigers put the finishing touches on their defensive dominance of the Mad Dogs. First, Scut sacked JD, who was under pressure, for a loss of 9 yards to midfield on first down. It was the Tigers' fifth sack of the ballgame.

On 2nd and 19, JD threw his very first pass and it was complete to Terrell for a gain of 7 yards. Xavier, who also played cornerback, stopped Terrell at the Tiger 43.

With 1:01 remaining in the game, Coach Barkin called in his second timeout with a third and 12 coming up, even though it was a meaningless timeout.

Coach Barkin called in for a shotgun set. He sent in Michael McKenzie and swapped out Jimmie. Coach Woods sent in his nickel defense.

After the second timeout was gone. JD lined up under center. The ball was snapped as he dropped back to pass. He tried to find the other Tweeb brother Jim Possible and threw the ball up for grabs. Unfortunately, JD's pass was picked off by Xavier at the Tiger 23 with 51 seconds left in the game. Xavier moved to the Tiger 28 where he was stopped by Jim. It doesn't matter. The Tigers gained their revenge for Game 1. The Mad Dogs have been defeated, routed, and overpowered by a much better and much less distracted South Panola football team.

Ron hung his head in shame. Coach Barkin was steaming mad at his players for such a horrible performance as this. He was going to save all this anger after the game.

On the track, Kim's waterworks reached a critical mass as she saw even more Mad Dog fans disperse for the exits. Only a scattering of fans and the band still remained on the field. This, combined with the looks of shame, humiliation, and dejection from the cheer squad and from all the Mad Dog players, especially Ron, converted Kim's snuffles into full-blown bawling. Her tears now filled her emerald eyes like Niagra Falls. She collapsed onto the track, now fully weeping. Her golden pom-poms were now in an untangled mess as she dropped them to the track. James and Anne were stunned to see their daughter cry about the game, which turned south just as soon Deangelo scored on the second play of the first half. A couple of her tears fell on her cheerleading skirt. She did not want to become a part of this traumatic scene anymore. A sorrowful, tearful Kim fled from the track as the final seconds of the game ticked away.

--SP ball--

Xavier came back under center with 51 seconds left. The Tigers have emptied out all players on their roster. Trent lined up as a tight end for the first time.

The Mad Dogs brought in Tino Tonitini, Jude Lizowski, Trevor Moore, and Jason Cross, knowing that Coach Barkin would chew them out after the game is over.

On first down from the 28, Xavier gave the ball off to the thirteenth Tiger to carry the football, Quinterious Lee. Quinterious tore up the middle and picked up another Tiger first down at the 39 before Jason and Trevor combined with the stop. He gained 11 yards for South Panola. Middleton called its last timeout with 44 seconds left, another meningless timeout. All it ever did was to swap out Quinterious for Bordario Jackson.

After the timeout, Bordario got another handoff from Xavier up the middle and picked up 8 yards to the Tiger 47 where Josh made the tackle for Middleton.

The final play of the game was when Moe took the carry to the left from Xavier and picked up 1 yard. Jude and Tino brought him down.

The rest of the Mad Dog cheerleaders, minus Kim, could only watch in horror as the final seconds of the game ticked away. Some of the cheerleaders packed away their discarded pom-poms, including Kim's back into the bags. Bonnie, Tara, and Caitlin could not believe what they had witnessed for the last two and a half hours. In a manner of that span, South Panola just crushed all hopes of a Mad Dog victory right before their eyes.

The final score for Game 2 was: South Panola Tigers 44, Middleton Mad Dogs 14.


	41. Barkin's Bite

As the final buzzer echoed throughout Dunlap Stadium, South Panola had pulled even with Middleton in the series at one game apiece.

In the visting pressbox, John allowed Coach Taylor and a couple of the Mad Dog coaches to exit the box. He then turned to his co-statistician, Felix.

Felix sat there, like many others in Mad Dog nation, in stunned silence. The Mad Dogs have suffered one of the most lopsided defeats in years.

"Hey, John," Felix looked depressed, "Can ya give me my crutches, and can ya give the stats to the South Panola PA?"

"Sure thing, Felix" John responded indifferently. He gave Felix his heavy crutches as he went to the Tiger side of the stadium, for only statisticians are allowed to go to opposing bleachers after the game. Felix called up Mr. Malone on his cell to help him down from the treacherous steps.

At the home press box, the PA sat there in his usual chair with his microphone:

"The final stats for tonight's game should be announced any minute now. For right now, you final score is: your South Panola Tigers 44, and the Middleton Mad Dogs 14."

John spoke with the PA momentarily.

"Here are the stats for tonight's game." John gave the PA a wad of papers with the Game 2 stats on them.

"Thanks, son." the PA responded as he sat down to announce the stats as John left the new home press box.

"For your Tigers in rushing, Deangelo Young leads the team with 140 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown; Darius Griffin had 78 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown; Ray Tatum had 69 yards on five carries; Ash Ketchum had 57 yards on three carries and one touchdown; Evan Nordan had 35 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown; TJ Avery had 23 yards on one carry; Blaise Zabini had 19 yards on two carries and one touchdown; Rickey Griffin had 14 yards on four carries; Quinterious Lee had 11 yards on one carry; Ethan Robinson also had 11 yards on one carry; Bordario Jackson had eight yards on two carries; Todd Snap had eight yards on one carry; Ben Nordan had five yards on one carry; and Moe Turner had zero yards on three carries. In all, your Tigers have 478 yards on 55 carries and five touchdowns."

"For the Mad Dogs in rushing, Ron Stoppable led with 59 yards on 13 carries; Axel Brodie had 34 yards on three carries and one touchdown; Chad Danforth had 19 yards on two carries; Dwayne Robertson had 18 yards on three carries; Ladario Weathers had 13 yards on four carries; Zeke Baylor had seven yards on one carry, Jimmie Zara had three yards on one carry, Brian Williams had no yards on two carries; Troy Bolton lost four yards on one carry; JD McCoy had lost nine yards on one carry and Stan Marsh has lost 15 yards on seven carries. The Mad Dogs had only 125 yards on 38 carries and one touchdown."

"In the air department, your Tigers were led by Young with his one completed pass for 14 yards to Willie Wiggins along with Tatum who completed one of three passes for five yards to Kendrick McGee. The Tigers completed two of four passes for 19 yards."

"For the Mad Dogs, Marsh was three of 10 for 36 yards and one interception; Brodie was one of two for 18 yards; and McCoy was one of two for seven yards and one interception. The Mad Dogs, altogether, were five of 14 for 61 yards and two interceptions."

"Tim Possible had 18 yards on one catch; Stoppable had one catch for 17 yards; Carver Descartes had one catch for 16 yards; Bolton had three yards on one catch and Christopher-John Logan had seven yards on one catch."

"In all, your Tigers ran 59 plays for 497 yards and the Mad Dogs ran just 52 plays for 186 yards."

"On defense, your Tigers also recorded three turnovers and five sacks."

"These are the stats for Game 2."

Coach Barkin and Coach Woods shook hands with each other at midfield. Then the Tiger players shook hands with the defeated Mad Dogs.

The victorious Tigers then gathered together in a huddle. Coach Woods congradulated his players for such a well-done performance tonight.

"You did very well on both offense and defense. You made very few mistakes and you learned your lessons from Game 1. Now if we can pull it off in Game 3, we'll be ahead. We'll say a brief prayer and, after that, we'll celebrate tonight's victory in the locker room. How's that sound?" the

The Tiger players yelled, shouted, and cheered. Then, Coach Woods did a brief invocation with the team. After that, the Tiger, along with Von, players put their helmets together. "1....2.....3..... TIGERS" The team then went to their locker room to prepare for the longtime coach's post-game speech.

The Mad Dogs did not gather up. Instead, they went to the locker room where Coach Barkin was going to chew his players out on such a performance as this.

Meanwhile, a beaten-up Ron was on the stadium track on the visitors' side, looking for the other half of Team Possible for the post-game prayer when his ears picked up distant sobbing. He found Kim sitting next to one of the supports underneath the visitor press box. She was putting her hands over her face, sobbing to her heart's content. That familiar red-headed cheerleader that Ron usually saw in the hallways of Middleton High was still crying over this monumental defeat.

"KP, what's wrong?" the star tailback asked a distraught Kim in a hoarse voice from all of that screaming.

"We-we-we" Kim stuttered before letting out a large wail "WWWEEEE LOOOST!!!" She cried into her hands again.

Ron tried to calm her down as best as he could. "Don't worry, KP. We'll win Game 3 at home."

Kim looked into Ron's brown eyes. "Promise me that we'll win Game 3?" She still had tears trickling down her face.

"I promise" Ron affirmed. Kim embraced the star tailback with her hands that were now stained with her tears. Ron embraced her in the same manner briefly.

"I gotta get back to the locker room. Barkin's going to chew us out." he said hoarsely as he headed out.

"Ok, Ron, I'll see ya at Middleton High in a few hours." Kim called out to Ron as she wiped a tear from her eye.

She then waved back to Ron from the visiting bleacher exit one last time before he disappeared into the fieldhouse. But more bad things were in store for her and the squad.

The PA announcer concluded his announcements, "Next time for game three, we will be traveling down to Hattiesburg to face against the Mad Dogs at Middleton Stadium. Again, your final score for game two is: South Panola 44, Middleton 14. The series is tied at one game apiece. Please drive home safely."

In the victorious South Panola locker room, Coach Woods congraulated his team.

"You were dominant out there not only on offense but also in defense and special teams. I also liked the play of the offensive line. You opened up the holes for our runners to go through them."

Dudley, Augustus, Walter and the rest of the offensive line cheered and gave high-fives to each other.

To his defense, he remarked "You did exceptionally well on defense, holding the opposition to under 200 yards. I also liked the fact that number 7 did not enter the end zone tonight. You all get a big pat on the back that. You also forced a couple of turnovers and a few sacks. Everyone participated in this game and that shows how unity and teamwork can win ballgames."

The defense and offense gave high fives to each other as well. He also said "This isn't over yet, we still need to have three more games to win and we're going into hostile territory in Hattiesburg in a few days, but if we can pull of the same performance that we had tonight, we can win ballgames" He concluded, "Tonight, your performance is what South Panola football is all about. Now get some rest."

All of the Tigers yelled and cheered and along with their long-time manager, Von Sanford, they all huddled together for a brief prayer. Then, after the conclusion of the prayer, all 79 Tiger players huddled the helmets together, saying the famous Tiger chant: "LET'S GO 1....2....3... TIGERS" and departed for the night.

As the team walked out of the field house, a few of the players heard yelling and shouting from the visiting locker rooms.

Bart said to Blaise, "I guess their coaches aren't happy about how their team played tonight."

"You can never tell," Blaise said, "I figure that this will not be the last time we'll see the Mad Dogs because we're going to play on their turf." He also added "And I also have a feeling that this won't be the last time we'll see number 7."

Meanwhile, in the visitors' locker room, Coach Barkin was throwing an earful at his players. "You call yourselves a football team?!?! More like a bunch of Pop-Warner players to me. Our offense was horrible and our defense was even worse. I mean, you cannot give up four hunded and seventy-eight yards on the ground in a football game!! It may be excusable in a junior varsity game, but NOT in Middleton Football and CERTAINLY not in the college and in the pros. Our team had only 186 yards and most of that came in the fourth quarter, and that was with the second team. We suffered with five sacks, three turnovers and had to punt eight times. We had to go through three quarterbacks in the game. Worst of all, you have humilated not just me and the coaches, but also the fans that were present at the game. Now what do you have to say about yourselves?? HUH??

Silence filled among the 90 Middleton football players present. Barkin continued his tirade. "Because of your reckless play, three players were injured."

He pointed out to Brian, Eugene, and Charlie, who are in crutches. "Now because of that, we are going back to Hattiesburg and we are going to run 20 laps on the Middleton track tomorrow afternoon."

There was a sudden unison of groans echoing throughout the locker room.

Barkin quickly silenced the team by throwing his clipboard down in anger. "Shut up, damn it!!!!!!" The Mad Dog team suddenly was silent. He resumed "Now I do not want to see that same shit that I saw tonight occurring on our home turf in Game 3!!!! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD???

The players, Ron included, all responded "Yes sir" in a disheartening mood.

Barkin concluded, "I want to see you to play with heart and determination, not shitting around like a bunch of idiots. Now get your sorry asses on the buses in 15 minutes. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR??"

In a final resounding unison, they said "Yes sir."

Throughout the ten-minute berating speech, most of the Mad Dogs were hanging their heads low in shame; none lower than the star running back, Ron Stoppable. He needed to keep the promise that he made to Kim that they would win Game 3.

Meanwhile, Kim, still wiping away her tears, was heading out to the cheerleader buses when Camille and London came up to her. The temporary captain was also upset with tears that her beloved Mad Dogs got overrun by the Tigers, but she needed a scapegoat to blame the loss upon. Camille found that scapegoat, right in front of her.

"Kim, you, like, caused us to lose the game." Camille cried through her tears, "If you would've performed those rouge cheers that you did in Game 1; we would've won. But instead, like, we didn't do any of that shit and we lost by thirty points. WWWWWAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! I, LIKE, BLAME YOU KIMBERLY ANN POSSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!! IF VERUCA WERE STILL ON THE TEAM, WE WOULD'VE WON!!! BUT NO, INSTEAD YOU HAD TO KICK HER OFF THE TEAM AND SEND HER TO JAIL!!!!!!!! MY BEST FRIEND OF 13 YEARS!!!!!!! WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kim, still tearful, seethed at this, "Don't you dare talk about that evil bitch in front my presence!! I have had ENOUGH of the Salt brat!! When elections come, you won't be occuring the captain position anymore!"

Camille's mood then turned angry, "You will not talk to me in that tone of voice, Possible. You will respect my authority as your future captain. And there is nothing that you can do about it!"

Kim detected that Veruca's bad influences have clouded Camille's mind like a cloud. She wanted to punch her in the face, but she didn't want to run the risk of losing her cheerleading career twice in a row. So, she retrained herself.

"I HATE YOU, KIM POSSIBLE!!!!! I HATE YOOUUUUUU!!!!!!!" Camille screamed at the top of her lungs, then ran towards the first bus as she left Kim alone.

_Damn, not again _Kim thought to herself, now free of her tears momentarily. _first I have to deal with Veruca, now Camille?? This is more than I can take. _

And just when her night couldn't get any worse, a crying Bonnie came up to Kim.

"B? Why are you so upset?" Kim asked as Bonnie approached her long-time friend in tears.

"Mrs. Johnson just talked to me, Sharpay, Tara, and Caitlin," the tan-skinned cheerleader said in between sobs "Since a Mad Dog athletic team has lost by more than 20 points in basketball or football, the cheerleading team is going to take ...". And then she sobbed hysterically "THE LONG WAY HOME!! WAAAAHHH!!!"

Kim was confused at first "The long way home? What do you mean by that, B?"

Bonnie, though her crying, answered "Instead of taking the four-hour drive back to Middleton High, K, we're gonna have to go through the Mississippi Delta. Mrs. Johnson said so. It's part of the Code."

"Really?" Kim asked.

"Yes!!" Bonnie was now screaming as tears fell down from her face.

"First of all, which route are we taking?" Kim was still in a confused state.

"Well, according to Mrs. Johnson, we're taking 278/6 to Marks to Highway 3 and then go down 49 West and then," she continued in her sobs "go through Highway 8 to Grenada and then take the usual route back home from there. So, in other words, she has added two more hours to the trip back hooommmmeeee, WWWAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

Kim, now knowing that her long way to home was going to be even longer, cried with Bonnie in an outburst as they embraced each other. _We win as a team, we lose as a team. That's what being a Middleton Mad Dog is all about, _was all Kim could think of as the 22 cheerleaders, some still crying out their tears over this loss and realizing that their trip would be two hours longer, filed into the four buses.

Kim, Bonnie, Tara, Bailey, Brittany and Bebe took the first bus home driven by Mrs. Johnson

Camille, London, Carm, Sandi, Jessica, and Lilly took the second bus with Mrs. Newman.

Sharpay, Maddie, Kate, Hope, Crystal, and Libby occupied the third van with Mrs. Jackson driving.

Marcella, Lisa, Liz, Caitlin, John and Felix occupied the fourth van with Mr. Malone driving.

The three charter buses carrying the defeated Mad Dog players left first from the stadium, then the four cheerleading buses went behind them.

As the stadium lights turned off, distant rumbles of thunder were heard.

It was going to be a long six-hour drive back home.


	42. Middleton Spirit Blues

**AN: Captain IT had helped me with the beginning of this song, so I give him credit for it. He's a great musician and a big help.  
The rest of the song, though, was written by me. I used the inspiration of the Mississippi Delta as the birthplace of the blues.**

The Middleton cheer buses first stopped at a local convenience store before heading out for their long, sorrowful six-hour drive back home. Some of the cheerleaders,who were in a better mood than others, went into the store to buy snacks, drinks and chips. John opemed the van door and climbed out the front seat. As the soft booms of thunder rolled overhead, John went into the convenience store and bought himself a hyper-caffeinated energy drink and some candy, like he usually did after football games on the road. As the buses departed from the convenience store, the fading lights of Batesville went away in the distance. All the buses faced in front of them was a dark two-laned highway illuminated only by the headlights of the vans and an occasional distant flash of in-cloud lightning with soft rumbles of thunder.

As the four cheerleading buses turned from Highway 278/6 to Highway 3 in Marks, the girls could not believe the dark events that had happened to the Mad Dog Nation within the last three days. First, there was Kim's illegal almost-expulsion trial, then there were the swirlie pranks by Veruca and the arrest of their former captain, and now, their Mad Dogs were not only defeated but also humiliated by the Tigers, and they would have to face these same Tigers again for Game 3. Worst of all, there were no feelings of happiness among the girls. The spirit of the Middleton Cheer Squad was now broken. The elections were scheduled to be tomorrow at the Middleton High Gym by the cheerleaders, but for right now, there was no leadership among them. Some of the cheerleaders still had the uniforms on while others changed into their pajamas prior to leaving South Panola's stadium

The sad expressions of the cheerleaders were felt in all four buses. The lamenting was the most prevalent in the first van. Kim and Bonnie were trying wipe away their tears. Tara just gave a disappointing sigh as she leaned against the window, observing the incoming storm.

Kim, still wiping the tears with the Middleton South Champions T-shirt that she wore over her cheering top, decided that it was time to take out her harmonica from her backpack. It was the worst-case sitch that the Mad Dogs were going through. Ever since the final buzzer from the stadium, she had been writing this blues song in her heart. Now, it was time to release that song as a series of mournful vocals coming out of her mouth. She held her harmonica to her mouth as she played the first notes of her blues song. Kim appropriately titled her song: The Middleton Spirit Blues.

_Hey give me a B..............B_

_Hey give me a L-----------L_

_Hey give me a B.L.U.E._

_Yo,I got the blues_

She slid her harmonica in a depressing mood every time she finished up a stanza

_I got no spirit_

_Don't have no cheer_

_Even my cheerleading sisters_

_Gave me a nasty sneer_

_I got it bad_

_Oh Lord, I got the blues_

_(harmonica)_

_We lost the game_

_Was not my fault_

_Even got my wounds rub with some_

_Veruca Salt  
_

At the saying of those two words, her sobs momentarily transformed into full-fledged crying for a minute or two before calming down to continue her song

_I got it bad_

_Oh Lord,I got the blues_

_(harmonica)_

_Now as my harmonica wails_

_The Tigers kicked our tails_

_I got the Middleton Spirit blues_

_(harmonica)_

_  
As I see Ron screaming on the sideline_

_We were already falling behind_

_As South Panola's second-team came in _

_I knew that our Mad Dogs can't win_

_I got the Middleton Spirit blues_

_(harmonica)_

_As I cried underneath the press box myself_

_Even my glowing red hair as makeshift tissues didn't help_

_(harmonica)_

_Oh, ohhhhhhh, noooo, can't you see_

_We're as sad as we can be_

_We're now on this six-hour trip in the Delta_

_Isolated and alone_

_Why do we have to take the long road home_

_(harmonica)_

_Oh, ohhhhhhh, noooo, can't you see_

_This is worse than Dad grounding me_

_Now I have tears flowing from my emerald eyes and they hurt_

_I even have some tears on my cheerleading skirt_

_As the rain starts to fall upon our vans_

_We are stuck in the Delta farmlands_

_I got the Middleton Spirit blues_

A light rain was starting to pat on the vans. The windshields started to have a few drops of light rain on them.

The buses went past Tutwiler when Highway 3 transformed into Highway 49 West

As Kim's part concluded, a tearful Bonnie joined in as well. She also thought of some lyrics as well while Kim was singing her part of the blues.

Kim was more than willing to back Bonnie up on her harmonica.

_Bonnie: I have the broken spirit blues (Kim: harmonica)_

_I have the broken spirit blues _

_Our team gave up over 450 rushing yards and five touchdowns_

_It feels like out D had lead in their shoes_

_I have the broken spirit blues (Kim: harmonica)_

_Now we are travelling down Highway 49 west_

_We now realize our Mad Dogs are not the best_

_Thunder rumbles overhead_

_This six- hour trip that we dread_

_I have the broken spirit blues_

_(A sad wail of her harmonica from Kim) _

As she said those words, a bolt of lightning shone from the distant part of the Delta with a loud clap of thunder, scaring the girls momentarily.

As Tara looked outside the window, she heard the sad tone of Kim and Bonnie and decided to sing her own lyrics as well.

_Tara: I've got the Middleton Spirit Blues_

_I've got the Middleton Spirit Blues_

_Our Mad Dogs suffered three turnovers and five sacks_

_And Unstoppable has no touchdowns too._

_I've got the Middleton Spirit Blues_

_(Kim adds another sad wail of the harmonica)_

_Oh, Ohhhhh, we thought we were the better team_

_Until South Panola beat us 44 to 14_

_Them Tigers knocked us some sense_

_We didn't even reach 200 yards of offense_

_As far as we can tell ya_

_We are in the Mississippi Delta_

_Now our Mad Dog spirit is collapsed, broken, and severely damaged too_

_I've got the Middleton Spirit Blues _

Tara shed a few tears from her blue eyes. She tried to wipe them off with the T-Shirt that she wore over her cheer top.

Then she joined in with Bonnie and Kim for the last stanza of lyrics. Mrs. Johnson didn't mind as she carefully drove down the dark western side of Highway 49 through the storm. The three cheerleaders concluded their melancholy song as the other cheerleaders in the first bus joined them.

_We have the Middleton Spirit Blues_

_We have the Middleton Spirit Blues_

_We came into Game 2 confindent and our heads were held high_

_Now all we can do is cry_

_Our defeated Mad Dog football team is traveling down Interstate 55_

_Our six-hour road trip is hell_

_As our ex-cheering captain sits in a jail cell_

_As the thunderstorm gets worse_

_Who could break our Veruca curse?_

_There are no Delta towns around_

_That can clam this cheer squad down_

_We have the Middleton Spirit Blues_

At the end of the song, all the cheerleaders in the front bus broke down and cried. This night was the lowest point that the Middleton High cheering squad had been in throughout its history. The storm got progressively worse as the light rain became more frequent.

The second bus was also filled with lament, but also with anger at the same time. Camille was still pissed at the way Kim talked to her and how she mocked Veruca's "good name".

_I'll show that Possible idiot. Once tomorrow's cheerleading elections get underway, I'll make sure that I will get the captain position. And neither Possible nor, like, her goons will be able to atain the leadership positions of this team. And once the elections are over, I'll finally get back to the top of the MHS food chain and date the star tailback, Ron Stoppable. He will be all mine!! _Veruca's right-hand debutante chuckled to herself, making sure not to reveal her true emotions to the cheerleaders around the bus. London, the other former Veruca co-hort, agreed with her.

She did not know of the deep and entrenched bond that Kim and Ron had for each other.

Only John, who sat in the very back set of the last bus, remained in a positive mood throught the entire trip back to Middleton High. He did the game stats, listened to some of his iPod, and then went to sleep because all the caffeine in the energy drink was keeping him up. It also wore out his enegy as well.

As the buses turned from 49 West to the long stretch of Delta farmland on Highway 8, the cheerleaders, exhausted from crying, began to fall asleep. Kim played a few more little notes on the harmonica and started to get sleepy around her eyes. She quietly put her harmonica away, got out her favorite pillow and started to fall asleep. All she saw from those emerald eyes were the faces of the sleeping cheerleaders, the raindrop-stained windows and an occasional flash of lightning.

It was now quarter after 12 that they had reached Grenada. The vans took the interchange that led them to Interstate 55. As the vans passed town after town on the interstate, the rain started to pick up.

Kim then started to think of the star tailback, her other half of Team Possible, her sidekick who has stuck by her on her missions, her best friend that she had since Pre-K: Ron Stoppable.


	43. The Long Road Home

The mood for the Mad Dog football players on the charter buses weren't much better either.

The three buses continued to travel down Interstate 55. Cold air filled all the buses, courtesy of Coach Barkin. It didn't help either that the weather was getting worse by the minute. The Mad Dog football players were in complete silence, with the exception of one player playing a lone harmonica on the second bus. The sound originated from the sad mouth of number 7, Ronald Stoppable.

As Ron looked out the bus window facing the west, he could see an occassional flash of lightning. The star tailback could not believe that this was the first time in his young football career that he not only failed to go over 100 yards rushing but also failed to score a touchdown. As he thought of all the events that occurred in Game 2, he put his harmonica to his mouth and started to play. The song was appropriately titled "The No Touchdown Blues" .

Verse 1

_I see the endzone_

_Pretty as can be_

_But I got number 76, number 8, number 28, and number 12 landing on me_

_(sad wail of harmonica)_

_I got the no touchdown blues_

_I got the no touchdown blues_

_All I got was a bunch of boos_

_And no highlight reel to put on the News_

_(harmonica continues)_

_The coaches did their homework_

_Even done the math_

_But it's looks like Coach Barkin won't get his gatorade bath_

_I got the no touchdown blues_

_(harmonica continues)_

I was held under 100 yards on the ground

_Barkin benched me in the final quarter_

_I had no choice_

_But to scream my head underneath a towel on the bleachers_

_'_

_Reprise:_

_Ohh, noo, I have the no touchdown blues_

_(harmonica)  
I have the no touchdown blues_

_I couldn't find an open hole to choose_

_I have the no touchdown blues_

_Verse 2_

_As Kim watched on from the track, _

_The GO MAD DOGS facepaint wore away from her cheeks_

_As I screamed when the Tigers scored again_

_Deep down in her heart, she knew that the final score would be very bleak_

_As the game neared its end_

_We got intercepted again_

_My favorite red-headed cheerleader shed her tears_

_That we have been humilated for the first time in three years_

_She bolted out of the stadium, leaning on a support beam._

_From the sad look in both our eyes, she only saw our defeated team_

_It breaks her heart _

_That we got slaughtered from the start_

_I got the no touchdown blues_

_I got the no touchdown blu-uueeees_

_(harmonica)_

_Reprise:_

_Ohh, noo, I have the no touchdown blues_

_(harmonica)  
I have the no touchdown blues_

_I couldn't find an open hole to choose_

_I have the no touchdown blues_

_Verse 3_

_I came into this game _

_Scoring three touchdowns in game one_

_But as that final horn rang throughout the stadium  
That the Tiger's damage to our team has been done_

_I scored no touchdowns_

_Got only 59 yards on the ground_

_As the Tigers continued to celebrate_

_Barkin began to berate_

_Oh, he began to berate_

_OHHHH, NOOOOO  
(Ron: wail on harmonica)_

_  
Coach Barkin chewed and swore us out _

_That our team suffered three turnovers and five sacks_

_But, no, that wasn't the worst thing of all._

_Oh, no, no, no that wasn't the worst thing of all._

_No, tomorrow afternoon, all of us players have to run 20 laps around the Middleton track._

_(Ron: wail on harmonica)_

_Reprise:_

_Ohh, noo, I have the no touchdown blues_

_(harmonica)  
I have the no touchdown blues_

_I couldn't find an open hole to choose_

_I have the no touchdown blues_

_(harmonica)_

_Verse 4_

_'  
As Kim cried underneath the stands_

_I held her hands_

_Through her tearful emerald eyes, I made a promise to her that we will win game three_

_But judging from the Tigers' performance tonight_

_That promise is going to be hard to keep_

_Now as we travel down the highway_

_The storm will not simply go away_

_I have the bruises and scars on my body_

_But even that was not enough._

_The Tigers' defense was too tough._

_I couldn't cross the plain_

_Their defense stood up and blocked all my running lanes_

_  
All because of game two _

_I now have the no touchdown blue-lues (Oh no)_

_Reprise:_

_Ohhhhh, nooooooo, I have the no touchdown blues_

_(harmonica)  
I have the no touchdown blues_

_If he came, Rufus would be disappointed too_

_I have the no touchdown blues, I have the no touchdown blues._

_(harmonica)_

At the end of that song, Ron broke down in tears and cried as he leaned his head against the bus window. His tears from his brown eyes matched perfectly with the falling raindrops on the windows.

Some of the football players around Ron were jolted awake by his singing. The clapping of hands and shouts of "Amen" welcomed Ron's song, The Mad Dogs knew what hard times that they were going through and Ron's songs seems to capture some of those hardships.

Even Coach Barkin, who woke up, now seriously reconsidered giving his Mad Dog players 20 laps. Because of the beauty of Ron's song that encompassed the events of what had happened tonight, he wanted to cut down the number of laps that the players would run on the track in half to 10.

As the buses continued their sojurn down the interstate, the players aboard Bus 2 resumed their sleep.

Ron, sensing that sleep was upon him, brought out his pillow and put the harmonica back in his bag. His tears have been dried out by now. Hoping that he would see his favorite red-headed cheerleader and naked mole rat back home, the tailback shut his eyes for the rest of the trip.

As he began to dream of leading his team to victory in Game 3, all his thoughts and dreams suddenly shifted to Kim.


	44. Kim's Dreams and Nightmares

**I don't own Mr. McHenry or any of the villains listed below, they are the property of Kim Possible and its creators.**

** was created by Kim herself.**

**Batman and Superman are owned by DC Comics**

As the cheerleading buses continued down I-55, the rain started to picked up. It didn't matter to Kim for she was fast asleep. The only person that she thought about was Ron.

She thought back to the very first time that the two met on the very first day in pre-K. She envisioned her scared four-year old self with pigtails. Then the pre-K version of Ron caught sight of a young Kim. It was instant friendship at first sight.

Then, her dreams flashed her forward to the time when she was twelve. The pre-teen Kim needed an allowance. She then looked at the then ten-year old Tweebs, Jim and Tim. As the preteen Kim shuddered at the mere sight of destruction the Tweebs were making with their father's smarts embedded within them, she decided to set up a website, appropriately titled "" and, to try and attract business, added her now-famous slogan: "I can do anything." Across from the Middleton suburbs, Mr. McHenry, the chancellor of the University of Southern Miss, and his assistant was deep underground in the Vault of USM. He was testing out a laser system to protect the University's most treasured valuables. Unfortunately, the two men invariably trapped themselves in the laser system, unable to move for the fear of being vaporized. The laser remote was there, but it was surrounded with red beams of instant death. Mr. McHenry, with all of his might, tried to type in Team Impossible's website on the laptop with his feet. Instead of typing in the global hero's website, he typed in Kim's website instead.

The young Kim, sensing on this hit on her website, headed down to the USM Vault along with Ron. There, she and Ron found the two men, barely moving a muscle at all. She remembered how she stepped back and charged into the laser-surrounded vault. Her preteen body glided gracefully through the air, avoiding contact the lasers. She finally landed on the red button on the laser remote control, thereby shutting down the laser system and spared the lives of Mr. McHenry and his assistant. She did not get a single laser scratch on her body. A preteen Ron witnessed her graceful prowess of death-defying moves from the entrance of the vault. As the two left, they realized their lives changed forever and their bond grew stronger.

The focus of Kim's dreams then shifted to her missions, which often took her on a worldwide basis. She consistently remembered foiling Drakken's plans over and over again. Whatever Drakken tried to create for the sole purposes of world domination, Kim came out victorious every single time. Drakken, whenever his plans failed, usually uttered the words _"You think you're all that, but you're not". _She also freshly rembembers defeating Duff Killigan, Motor Ed, and DNAmy, as well as countless other robberies and other lesser crimes not involving world conquest.

Her fights with Shego, the raven-haired sidekick of Drakken, were most memorable. But, they often ended in stalemates because Drakken and Shego almost always got away. Now, because of Drakken and Shego's latest scheme of trying to bring down the government of Mississippi, they were sent to the state penitentiary in Parchman, along with the other villians that Kim has faced in the past.

Ron was usually there at Kim's side, even when he acted as the stereotypical "bumbling sidekick". Kim easily remembered, in her dreams, about how Ron lost his pants on many occasions. She also reminisced how Drakken usually referred to Ron as "the buffoon". She recalled how Rufus, Ron's favorite naked mole rat, usually saved the Team Possible duo from almost certain death, be it from being chained over a body of water filled with piranahs, staring in the face of a death ray, or being suspended 200 feet from a volcano.

She remembered how all those traits made her what she is today: a world-famous crime-fighting hero, worthy to be in the ranks of Batman or Superman. She reminisced how she came to the aid of Global Justice during the more serious missions. And Ron stood by her all this time.

--

Off the topic of her missions, her dreams of Ron shifted to their social life, espcially with the times that they had at Bueno Nacho in Hattiesburg. That was where the legendary battle royales took place. The competitions were designated to see who could eat more Nacos: Rufus or Ron. Kim would witness these competitions and cheer on whoever was in the lead. She always had Ron by her side as they walked to school together.

Yet, they were simple tokens of their longtime friendship and partnership.

--

That long-time friendship continued to evolve into something more, even before this whole football series even started. She noticed that, over the last month or so, Ron has become more attached to her and Kim the same to Ron. They were holding hands with each other and the two have been seen more frequently together among Hattiesburg's best venues. They even have been seen together at the Possible household, watching old classical movies such as "Gone With The Wind" and Kim and Ron were sitting in the same couch, getting closer to each other.

Then the football series carries the evolution even further. The gift of the harmonica to hone in her talent of singing was a great present from Ron and the harmonica duo that they had together before leaving for Batesville really brought them together. But it was that cheer that Kim encouraged Ron to score that winning touchdown in Game 1 and the embracing hug that they had afterwards that started a debate in Kim's mind: _Is Ron really the one for me?_

She tried the whole boyfriend thing with Josh Mankey, the third-string linebacker and artist of the team, but it didn't work out.

She wondered if Ron could be the perfect man that she had been looking for.

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Suddenly, a flash of lightning, bright enough to awaken the girls, opened up Kim's eyes momentarily. A faint loud boom thundered as the buses continued to go down I-55. The cheerleader rubbed her eyes and looked around.

The other five cheerleaders in bus one were still asleep. Mrs. Johnson was still driving cautiously through the heavy rain as the windshield wipers tried in all of their valiant efforts to wipe away the heavy precipitation. Bonnie was the cheerleader who snored the loudest, her short brown hair still resting on the raindrop-stained window.

Kim looked at her navy-blue Kimmunicator for the current time. It was now 1:48 am. She looked at the green sign. The buses were now approaching Canton. Sensing that it would be another two and a half hours before the buses could reach their final destination, she went back to sleep.

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As she resumed her deep slumber, Kim then switched the focus of her dreams to the first time she met Bonnie and became instant friends in the fourth grade. The setting was in the Middleton Elementary cafeteria. A young nine-year old Kim saw a nine-year old Bonnie Rockwaller at the other end of the lunch table, with no one to talk to. Her brown hair all tied up in a pony tail, the young Bonnie sighed. She was a new student on her first day in the school system, desperately trying to fit in. She recalled taking up her tray and sitting next to Bonnie. The young Kim started up a conversation with her and, as it turns out, the two have a lot of things in common with each other. They were both smart, funny, and quite athletically gifted. Because of Kim's ability to extend her outreach to even a new student who barely even knew how to fit into the crowd, it cemented a strong and solid friendship with each other.

That strong bond that Kim had with Bonnie extended through the junior high cheerleading tryouts. The combo of Bonnie's years of ballet lessons, Kim's amazing acrobatic abilities, and their zeal to cheer on their Junior Mad Dogs to victory in football and basketball helped earn them the praise of their cheerleading coaches and their fellow cheerleaders.

But Bonnie's friendship with Kim drew its greatest impact on that fateful stormy summer day of captain cheerleading tryouts. As Kim was about to suffer a 15-feet free-fall to her death because of that broken ankle, Bonnie and the other cheerleaders saved Kim's life that day. It was also Bonnie that called Kim's mom on her cell on the horrible news of her daughter's ankle. Bonnie stood by Kim's side every time she faced up against the debutante.

------------------------------------------------------------

Kim slept peacefully until the stream of haunting nightmares of Veruca came back to flood her mind. From the very first time that she called her the "red-headed coward" to the time that she was nearly expelled, Veruca did everything to make Kim's life as a cheerleader a living hell. To make it worse, Veruca didn't even allow Kim to display the cheerleading moves that she was so good at because they were "against the rules". Instead, the deb subjected Kim to mundane cheers and handstands, and those dreaded pyramids of hers. Oooohhh, how she hated those pyramids. They were physically demanding not only on her but also to some of Kim's friends as well and, more times than not, Veruca's pyramids would often collapse. It wasn't surprising for Kim to get a few bumps and bruises on her periods. Bonnie had the more serious of injuries that often resulted from Veruca's pyramids at one time during her freshman year: a broken leg. Kim and the Possible family, along with Mrs. Rockwaller and Bonnie's sisters, helped poor Bonnie to be nursed back to full health. Bonnie had to be sidelined for the next five months. It felt like that her cheerleading career was over, but Bonnie, like Kim, did not back down and continued on to cheerlead her beloved Mad Dogs. Veruca, of course, laughed and tormented Bonnie about her injury.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

As the parade of nightmares of Veruca concluded, Kim woke up in a cold sweat. She breathed a sigh of relief that Veruca was still off the team and still behind bars. She looked around and surveyed her surroundings. It barely changed at all. The cheerleaders were still asleep. Tara changed sleeping positions but nothing else.

She looked at the current time on her Kimmunicator. It was now quarter after 3 in the morning. The buses were now on Highway 49, preparing the final leg of their journey. The rain still came down on the vans and there were occassional flashes of lightning illuminating the dark sky. Kim yawned then went back to sleep for the remainder of the trip.


	45. The Many Memories of Ron

**I don't own Netflix. **

Rain continued to pour down on the charter buses as their journey now reached the state capitol, Jackson. It was now 1 in the morning. Ron was fast asleep, but he began to suffer from nightmares, horrible nightmares from the past that he wished to erase from his memory.

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The series of his nightmares began when he was a youth at Camp Wannaweep. He spent his first, and his last, summer there. This was the camp that he didn't want to even look at on a map. He had too many bad memories there. The taunting and the horrible accommodations were just the tip of the iceberg. He had to spend the summer of hell in Cabin 13. This one little cabin out in the peaceful woods near the Coast helped spawn his fear of monkeys and small insects. Just the mere imagery of the camp's mascot, which was a monkey, would freak him out.

But the worst aspect of Wannaweep was the lake. It was injected with so many toxins and pollution back then that the Environmental Protection Agency would declare this lake unfit to swim .... 20 times over. On that fateful day, Ron would rather take the arts and crafts department rather than swim in the disgusting lake. Gil, his bunkmate, taunted Ron and decided to swim in the lake instead. This caused Gil to transform himself into the mutant fish, Gill.

While the Mad Dog cheerleaders were on their way to attend the MHSAA Southern Cheerleading Regionals in Moss Point, Ron recalled, as the Middleton Mad Dog mascot, how the bus suffered from two flats and how he overcame his traumas at Wannaweep to defeat Gill.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

He then shifted from the bad times to the good times with Kim on the cheer squad. Ron remembered how, thanks to Kim's encouragement, he attained the position of the Middleton Mad Dog mascot. He remembered the barking sounds he used to make underneath that Mad Dog head. He remembered the banana cream foam that he spewed out his mouth. He remembered how those antics pumped up the Mad Dog crowd on Friday nights during football games. He remembered how he won the respect of Bonnie and some of the cheerleaders, even though a few were a little bit annoyed at his antics.

_Ahh, good times. _Ron thought in his sleep.

Unfortunately though, even good times with the cheerleading squad came to an end.

He thought back, to his sophomore year, of how Veruca demanded that the banana cream foam should stop immediately. She was the one who frowned the most upon Ron's use, and sometimes abuse, of the foam. The deb did not want banana cream stains all over her cheerleading uniform. So, the foam stopped spewing.

Veruca also did not want the growling and barking noises either from the mascot. So, the barking stopped as well.

Deprived of the two things that made it so unique, the Mad Dog mascot became stale and bland as a dried-up saltine cracker. It also had a major negative impact on Mad Dog athletics as well. Attendance at football games dropped by 20% last year and the Mad Dogs lost in the first round of the playoffs to Meridian, finishing up at 8-4. The basketball team suffered its first losing record as well.

Angered by the deb's demands on the squad, Ron had no choice but to quit.

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Ron was jolted awake when a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance. He looked around the charter bus and was relieved to see that everyone was still asleep. He looked around for his cell phone for the time. _Uhh, 1:30 in the morning. _Ron stared at the built-in clock on his cell. He closed up his eyes and went back to sleep. The focus of his dreams then centered on the day that he signed up for the football team and his growing relationship with Kim.

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He remembered signing up for football tryouts prior to summer's end. After last years' 8-4 record and a third-place finish in Region 4 play, Coach Barkin needed someone at tailback to fill up Delano Nesbit, one of the best Mad Dog backs who was signing up for Ole Miss. Ron immediately signed the flier and went to the practice field where Coach Barkin was waiting. He was given the number 7 jersey, and full contact pads. Honing in on his skills of dodging the Senior's Spinning Tops of Doom and all the times that he had to run away from traps during Kim's missions, he weaved and dodged through the Mad Dog defense with ease. Barkin, witnessing these events before his eyes, immediately named Ron the starting tailback for the Mad Dog football team. The rest was history.

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His friendship with Kim grew stronger and closer than usual, especially over the last few months. Some of the student body of Middleton High recently saw the two holding hands with each other. There was also that time when Kim grew emotionally angry when Ron was seen around with Yori, the female student from the Yamanouchi ninja school. And the two have become such a common sight at the Possible household. Both Ron and Kim sat very close to each other on the couch late at night at many occasions while watching Netflix movies from the Tweebs' 360. The Possible parents have seen them holding arms around each other and wondered if they have taken their long-time friendship to the next level.

Of course, Ron had been in a BF/GF relationship before, with Tara. They had been dating since Ron's freshman year and, because of their experiences at Wannaweep, their relationship grew until the day that Tara's favorite aunt on her mom's and dad's side died on the same day. Due to those two crushing blows, she had to call of the Boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with Ron. The two still remain very good friends.

Ron wondered if Kim could be that perfect girlfriend for him, since they have been friends from the very start at Pre-K. He could just simply imagine the warm embrace of his future red-haired girlfriend at midfield after the football game, kissing her on the very lips while the whole Mad Dog Nation watched. His mind wandered on this sole thought.

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Suddenly, he heard the hydraulics of the bus hiss.

He was back in Middleton High.


	46. Out of the frying pan, into the fire

As a flash of lightning penetrated the pitch-black sky, it briefly outlined the exterior of Middleton High before it disappeared. The loud clap of thunder boomed across the corridors of the hallways. The rain came down in sheets. The only lights that remained on at Middleton High were a few lights that reflected upon the exterior of the gym and a few interior lights in the high school that were near the stairwells and vending machines. Other than that, the high school was completely dark.

It was a fitting end to a four-day trip to Batesville, a mixed bag to be precise. The Mad Dogs won Game 1 28 to 23, but got creamed in Game 2: 44 to 14.

Three sets of charter bus headlights drove into the parking lot facing the gym.

As the charter bus lights turned on, it put a glare into Ron's eyes. His dreams of Kim ceased as his brown eyes woke up to the drugery that is reality in the form of a thunderstorm. The tailback, and the other Mad Dog players sitting in bus two turned all their attention to their head coach.

"Alright, players" an alert Coach Barkin addressed the football players. "Please put your trash in the proper containers. We do not want to act like a bunch of pigs, now do we."

The 30 players who were on board bus two made their exit. Ron gathered his knapsack that were filled with clothes and his harmonica and his cell. He now looked at the time: 2:16am. _Damn, we've been on the road for that long? _he said to himself. Ron stretched his entire 180-pound body, stood up, and headed out the bus. All 90 Mad Dogs, including the injured Brian, Eugene, and Greg, were off the bus.

The rain was coming down hard on the players, so they went underneath the awning that faced the gym. Coach Barkin took out his set of keys and unlocked the set of double-doors to the gym.

As the players entered the locker room underneath the gym floor, they put away their equipment. Ron stored his contact pads, grass-stained away number 7 jersey, and pants in the locker that bore his name. Now in athletic shorts and a MIDDLETON MAD DOG SOUTH CHAMPIONS T-shirt, he made his way to the gym's bleachers and sat there.

Some of the Mad Dog players called up their parents to pick them up and their parents did so.

Ron called up his parents on his cell. Cecillia Stoppable groaned before picking up the phone to answer her son.

_R: Hey Mom. We're back from the game. What's going on?_

_C: Ronald, it's now 2:30 in the morning and it's still pouring outside. You have an umbrella?_

R: Yeah?

C: Well, you'd better use it. I'll wake up your father, Ronald. He'll pick you up in about 15. 

_R: OK, Mom._

_C: How was the ride home, honey?_

R: Tiring and depressing, I guess this is what happens when we get beaten in Game 2 in a landslide. Four and a half hours on the road really wore me down.

_I even wrote a song describing the defeat. _

_C: That's nice, dear? Your father is heading out the door right now to pick you up. _

_R: Thanks Mom, I'll see ya back at the house._

_C: Bye_

_  
R: Bye._

He then decided to call up his former girlfriend, Zita Flores. Zita usually came to the home games and listened to a few of the Mad Dog away games on the radio. When the radio announcer announced that Ron scored the winning touchdown in Game 1, she jumped up and down in her room. She did not listen to the broadcast of Game 2 because she saw a three-hour long movie with her new boyfriend and that the show time was at 7. She was one of only a handful of the Mad Dog faithful who did not know the horrible results of Game 2. She also didn't pay attention to the TV reports of the game.

_R: Hey, Zita_

_Z: Hey Ron, it's 2:40 in the morning. Did y'all win Game 2?_

R: No, we lost. 

_Z: Y'all lost? What was the final?_

R: It was bad, 44 to 14. The Tigers were much better than we thought.

Zita dropped her jaw. An ardent fan of Mad Dog football, she could not believe that the Mad Dogs would lose by such a margin.

_Z: Are you serious about this? That can't be true!! I mean, seriously, the Mad Dogs have you on the team._

R: Yes, I am serious about this. We really did lose by 30 points. The Tigers D really contained me.

Zita went to the Flores' main computer. She went on the web and looked up 'Game 2 mad dog results' in the search box. There, on the very first link, it confirmed Zita's worst fears. The headline said: WON BY THE GROUND: TIGERS POUND MAD DOGS 44-14. After the headline, it gave the game details, the box score, and a brief summary of the stats. First, Zita saw the main photo of the article: Ron getting stuffed by the South Panola defense. Zita then gazed Ron's numbers: 13 carries, 59 yards, zero touchdowns and one catch for 17 yards.

_Z: Damn, I just can't believe my eyes. And y'all got nearly shut out._

_R: Yeah, we scored a couple of touchdowns late in the fourth quarter. Barkin was pissed. _

_Z: Well, ya win some and ya lose some. When do we play Game 3? _

_R: Wednesday. _

_Z: Hopefully, I'll see ya there._

_R: Thanks Zita, talk to ya later._

_  
Z: Bye._

_R: Bye._

She hung up. Tears flew freely in Zita's face. She had not seen or even heard that the Mad Dogs lost a game by that much of a margin. It happened anways and Zita continuted to lament as the storm raged outside her bedroom window.

Ron rested on the bleachers as he watched the lightning flashes illuminating the gym windows.

About 5 minutes later, David Stoppable arrived at the school in the family station wagon. He honked his horn at the gym. Alerted by his father's presence, Ron headed out the gym with his knapsack. He ran out to his father's station wagon, trying to dodge the rain. He opened the door to the station wagon and immediately closed it. The wagon drove away from the school.

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"Alright, cheerleaders, we're approaching Hattiesburg!!" Mrs. Johnson shouted out to the still-asleep cheerleaders.

The orange glow of the streetlights opened up Kim's sleepy eyes. She tried to get the sleepiness out of her eyes by rubbing them. Kim realized that she was back in Hattiesburg, but the thunderstorm still continued. The precipitation being pelted on the window made all of the building seem blurry.

Kim then woke up a snoring Bonnie.

"B, we're home" Kim whispered in Bonnie's ear from the middle seat.

The tan-skinned cheerleader was jolted awake by the mere mention of the word "home". She looked outside through the rain-battered window to her right. USM's stadium was there. She was back home.

"Ooooohhhh" Bonnie groaned as she rubbed her head as if she had a headache "I just had this awful nightmare that my wicked Aunt Mary was there at my house on Thanksgiving. She continues to torment me, day and night. Evey Christmas, she usually gives me gifts that would be suitable for little girls, but not suitable for me or for my sisters." She shuddered, remembering back to the last Christmas that she saw Aunt Mary, two years ago. All of the other aunts gave her money, gift cards, and bracelets. Bonnie loved those gifts. But Aunt Mary was a whole other story. She gave Bonnie a My Tiny Colt blanket and she was humiliated in front of the entire Rockwaller clan. Connie and Lonnie, her two sisters, were six years older than her and they didn't fare any better. They got a set of Beverly Hills Betty doll playset. \\

The Rockwallers rarely even see Aunt Mary. She doesn't put much though into the gifts that she usually buys for either Bonnie or her two sisters.

"And then, K," Bonnie continued on "there were her kisses. Imagine if you kissed a sheet of sandpaper ..... over and over again. That's how bad her kisses are."

"Well, hopefully, B, she won't come this Thanksgiving. Maybe your family, minus Aunt Mary, can come on over to my house for Thanksgiving. We have a large enough backyard to accomodate about 100 people." Kim replied, knowing that the Rockwallers' residence hosted some bad memories for Bonnie because of Aunt Mary.

"Oh, thank you K. You're the best friend that I've ever had. My mom will be more than happy to have the Rockwaller Thanksgiving over at your house." Bonnie said in a happy voice, the first time in nine hours that she was in a happy mood.

"Aww, you're welcome B." Kim blushed at the cheeks "It's what friends are for."

"And don't forget," Mrs. Johnson interrupted "emergency cheerleading elections are in seven hours. Be at the gym at 11:00am sharp. Whoever wins the elections get the new captain spot, regardless if youre a junior or senior."

"Right, the cheerleading elections" Kim slapped her hand across her face.

"Don't worry K, you'll beat that Camille once and for all, and this squad will get better. I promise." Bonnie said with a smile across her face.

"You know what B? I think you're right. The way that Camille has been a part of Veruca's slime all these years will cost her in the end." Kim confidently replied as the cheerleading buses finally arrived at the high school.

Tara finally opened her blue eyes and rubbed them. She stood in an upright position as the buses finally stopped.

Kim took a look at the time on her cell phone. It was now 4:15am and she was extremely tired from the long six-hour trip. She stretched her body and made her way out of the bus.

---------------

At the rear bus, John was shaken awake by Felix. He proceeded to put his glasses on. Felix, still in his power chair, was unstrapped by Mr. Malone. He dialed his cell phone and called his parents to pick him up.

John, still getting wet from the rain, needed a place to stay.

"Hey, Felix, I hate to say this but I need somewhere to stay." John groaned as the rain continued to pelt his glasses, making it impossible to see Felix. Thunder rumbled across the sky.

"Well, unfortunately, I have to paint the house once the weather clears up. And my mom is going to have company. Why don't you ask Kim? The Possibles have plenty of space over at their house." Felix replied.

"That's a good idea Felix. Now lets get the hell of of this storm before it blows us away!" John exclaimed.

The two statisticians made their way to the unlocked double-doors of the gym. They neglected to close them because they were in such a hurry.

------------------

As the cheerleaders made their way out the buses, they immediate ran towards to the gym against the rain. The gym was still open.

As Camille walked through the double doors, evil thoughts were stirring into her mind. _Once I attain that captain position. I will regain what Veruca had lost and no one will be able to stop me. But I should keep this _

_between me, London, Carm and Sandi. We do not want to give away our secrets. _She flashed an evil grin as a lightning bolt flashed across the sky and a loud crack of thunder followed.

The howling wind, which clocked at around 35 miles an hour, blew through the gym but Mrs. Johnson and a few of the other cheerleaders closed the double doors and shut them tight

The Mad Dog cheerleaders finally took off their uniforms and put their pajamas on, knowing that these cheerleading captain elections could change the way the entire squad is run.

Some of the cheerleaders immediately called up their parents on their cell phones. Ten minutes later, a caravan of cars were waiting for the cheerleaders to pick them up. The cheerleaders said their goodbyes and ran towards to their respective parents' cars, trying to avoid the heavy rain.

Camille and London left together in their father's limo. Their chauffeur held an umbrella for them. Her long blonde hair whipped through the intensifying wind gusts as she, along with London, went into the limo. The chauffeur was the last person to enter the limo as it left the school parking lot. Camille smirked as another bolt of lightning cracked the still-darkened sky and a long boom of thunder emitted its low and long growl across the ground. Devious plans were materializing in her head.

The only people remaining in the gym were Mrs. Johnson, Kim, Bonnie, Tara, Caitlin and John.

As the thunder boomed across the gymnasium, Tara and Caitlin held their hands together. They were extremely scared, so Tara left Caitlin and made her way to the athletic offices. Tara went in Mrs. Johnson's office and found the weather radio. She found the nearest electrical outlet and plugged it in. She was worried that the weather might turn south on their location. Her fears were confirmed when the following broadcast was announced:

_The National Weather Service in Jackson has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for _

_Lamar County in Southeast Mississippi_

_Jones County in Southeast Mississippi_

_Forrest County in Southeast Mississippi _

_Until 5:00 am CST_

At 4:25 am CST ... National Weather Service doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing nickel-sized hail and damaging winds in excess of 70 MPH. This storm was located near Oak Grove or 4 miles from Hattiesburg, and moving East at 25 MPH. 

_Other locations in the warning include, but are not limited to, Arnold Line, West Hattiesburg, Varnado, Middleton ...._

Tara immediately turned off the radio. The storm was heading right for the suburbs of Middleton. This also included Middleton High School. She immediately froze her hands in terror and went back the gym area where the remaining girls, John, and Mrs. Johnson were.

----------

As the storm continued to rage outside, Kim discussed with Bonnie how they plan to get out of here and what to do with John.

"I'm going to call up Dad and then your mom, B. That way, we can get out of this storm faster." Kim said as she planned everything out in such a hurry "And what should we do with John?"

"Well I can't have him over at my house, K. My mom's getting her floors redone in the living room and kitchen, well this morning. It's going to cost us $2000 but its going to be well worth it. The old carpet has been worn down for the last 20 years, and my mom got sick and tired of it. And I can't come to the house for almost the entire day either so that's out of the question." Bonnie sighed as she noticed from the gym windows that the storm was really starting to pick up.

"Hey, I've got an idea, B." Kim said with a gleam in her eye.

"Allright," Bonnie said, "spill."

"You can, like, come on over with John to my house, B. That way I can bring my sleeping bag and you can sleep on the floor next to my bed and John can sleep on the sofa." Kim said in a happy mood. "First, though, I need to call up my dad."

"All right. Sounds like a winner." Bonnie replied.

Before Kim could call up her dad, John interrupted her. "Uh, Kim, I think you need to hold off that call. The severe stuff is above us right now."

As he had said those words, Kim could hear the nickel-sized hail pelting on the gym's roof. The booming of thunder grew louder and louder. The storm was right over Middleton High school.

Tara screamed at the other girls, Mrs. Johnson, and John. "EVERYONE, GET IN THE HALLWAY, NOW!!"

So, Caitlin, Kim, Bonnie, John, and Mrs. Johnson followed Tara into the hallway where they sought shelter from the raging storm outside.

Tara started to sob endless tears from her face at the hopelessness of the situation that they had suffered over the last three days. She was wailing and screaming "When will this nightmare end? When will this nightmare end? When will this nightmare end?!?!?!"

This was, by far, the worst sitch the Mad Dog Cheer Squad has ever been in before and what better way to cap it off than a severe thunderstorm looming over the gym, pelting it with hail, hurricane-force winds, and heavy sheets of rain. A mockey of insults from the Mad Dog crowd at Veruca's version of the Middleton Mad Dog would be better than this.

Mrs. Johnson took cover underneath her desk in her office.

Kim, observing the despondancy and sorrow of her fellow cheerleaders huddling in fear because of the storm, took out her harmonica. "This whole trip has been so the drama." she said before sliding the harmonica through her mouth, fitting the sitch that the cheerleaders suffered through like a glove.

Bonnie, fighting against the sniffles, sang the lyrics to the "Middleton Storm Blues" with Kim backing her up on harmonica. John quickly went into Mrs. Johnson's office and huddled underneath the chairs with earplugs still attached, not wanting to hear the harmonica being played again.

_Oh, we have the Middleton Storm Blues_

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_We have the Middleton Storm Blues_

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_We can feel it down to our shoes_

_We have the Middleton Storm Blues_

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_The storm has confirmed our fears_

_Tara is even shedding her tears._

_As we huddle together _

_Underneath this worsening weather_

_We have the Middleton Storm Blues_

Kim continued to inject sadness through her harmonica. Bonnie succumbed to tears and proceeded to cry as she used her cheer championship shirt as a makeshift tissue. She tried to wipe off the tears as best as she can, but they kept on coming back.

It felt like that the Mad Dog cheer squad was suffering one bad day after another. 


	47. Home Sweet Home

As the storm continued to push its rage over Middleton High for the next 10 minutes, the cheerleaders huddled together. Tara was still sobbing to her heart's content, wondering when this torture to her and the squad will end.

At 4:45, the storm finally let up as the hail stopped pelting the roof. Although it was still raining and storming outside, the worst of it seemed to pass off to the east.

The four cheerleaders, Mrs. Johnson, and John went out of the hallway to see if any of the interior has suffered any damage. Luckily for them, the gym hasn't suffered any damage at all. There were no leaks at all. The gym, the very symbol of Mad Dog spirit, held its ground against the storm. Although they saw a couple of downed trees, there was no damage at all to the school.

Now, Kim knew that it was the perfect time to call up her dad.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Setting: Possible residence

Time: 4:50am

As James and Anne continued to snore loudly, the phone rang.

"Honey," Anne said with a yawn, "Can you get that?"

James groaned, "Who could be calling us at this time of night?"

He looked at the caller ID. It was her daughter and he immediately picked it up:

_J: Kimmie-cub. I know that you were going to be two hours late but where are you right now?_

K: Still at the school. There was a severe thunderstorm warning in our area, so we had to stay put.

_J: Well, that explains the hail that pelted our windows 10 minutes earlier. So, I guess I'm gonna have to pick you up, huh?_

K: Yeah, but can you also pick up Bonnie and John too?

J: How come, Kimmie-cub?

_K: Well, Mrs. Rockwaller is having her floors redone in a few hours and Bonnie can't come to her house. _

_J: OK, I'll allow them into the house. Where's John going to sleep?_

K: The couch.

_J: And Bonnie?_

K: I'm going to get the sleeping bag from the closet. She can sleep next to the bed on the floor.

_J: And speaking of sleep, did you get enough of it?_

K: Plenty, Dad. I got 5 hours of sleep after singing the blues for the first hour on the road. 

_J: And what else is going on, Kimmie-cub?_

K: Emergency cheerleading elections are in a few hours at the gym.

_J: Oh, right. Thats at 11. _

_K: Exactly._

_J: So, I gotta drop you and Bonnie off at the gym at 10:30, huh?_

_K: That's right, Dad._

_J: So, meet me in front of the gym in 10. See ya then._

_K: See ya, Dad._

_J: Bye, Kimmie-cub._

_K: Bye._

Kim hung up the cell phone. The storm still continued to rage outside but not with the same intensity that it did earlier.

Ten minutes later, James drove his car up to the school parking lot and started to honk his horn, indicating his presence.

Kim, Bonnie, and John heard the car horn from Mr. Possible's car. They gathered their belongings and went outside. The rain was now more moderate and there were a few rumbles of thunder, but they still had to run to get to the vehicle. As the car door closed, the three occupants' hair was a little wet, but James was relieved that they were still in one piece.

The four finally reached the Possible house at 5 am. Kim and Bonnie stretched their bodies. They have suffered through an seven-hour road trip that seemed neverending. But they were finally glad to be out of there.

James set up an area on the Possible's couch for John to sleep in. He grabbed a couple of pillows and a blanket to make John feel at thome. John put his glasses up and immediately went to sleep.

"It's so good to be home," Kim said in a hushed voice. The Tweebs were sound asleep. Kim took out the sleeping bag from the closet for Bonnie. She laid it out on the right side of her bed.

"Well, K, have a good few hours' rest," Bonnie said with a yawn.

"You too, B" Kim peered her head below at Bonnie.

Then, the two went to sleep for another 3 hours.


	48. The Short Possible Morningafter

Place: Possible household

Time: 8:00am, Tuesday

The rain began to taper off by the morning hours.

As Kim and Bonnie made their way downstairs to the kitchen, Anne was cooking bacon while James was reading the morning paper while sipping his coffee. He was trying to catch up on the news since Friday.

Tuesday's headlines, in big bold lettering, didn't look good at all. They were just more bad reminders of what had happened last night.

**ONE BY THE GROUND: MIDDLETON SUCCUMBS TO SOUTH PANOLA 44-14. **

The smaller headline read:

**Young piles 227 total yards, 2 TDs as Mad Dogs suffer worst defeat in 3 years.**

James immediately put away the sports paper because she did not want to suffer the same trauma all over again. He instead handed the sports paper over to John, who kept it as a souvenier.

John was already sitting on the left end of the table, wolfing down Anne's cinnamon roll oatmeal. Anne was surprised that John actually _loved _her oatmeal. Usually, when she gave it to Kim or the Tweebs, they would usually scrape it out in the kitchen sink.

"Morning, Dad. Morning, Mom." Kim said as she came into the kitchen as she waved to her parents. She was still concerned about the upcoming emergency cheerleader elections only three hours from now. She now felt better than on that long road trip home and the severe thunderstorm that followed. She sat down next to her father.

Bonnie came in after her. Her short brown hair was totally messed up. "Morning, Mr. Possible. Morning Mrs. Possible," she said as she waved to the Possible spouses as well with her left hand. But her right hand still rubbed on her forehead as if she had a major headache from the events that had happened last night: the Game 2 defeat, the sorrowful road trip home, and the thunderstorm that hit the gym. Bonnie sat down between Kim and John.

"Morning, John," Bonnie called out to John from across the table. She, like Mrs. Possible, gave a surprised look that John actually liked the oatmeal. Usually, when she came on over to the Possibles, Bonnie would take one disgusting look at Anne's oatmeal and scrape it out into the garbage can. But she loved Anne's eggs and bacon. She needed all the protein she could get.

John put the sports page in the backpack that he placed next to the chair so that Kim couldn't see. He understood what Kim was going through.

"So I heard that these cheerleading elections would determine the next captain of the squad, huh?" John said as he took another bite of Anne's oatmeal.

"Yep," Bonnie replied as she put her hands on the table, "these emergency elections are held whenever a senior captain is detained by the local authorities. In this case, the squad picks two representatives, Cheerleader A and Cheerleader B. Neither the mascot, nor the representatives can vote."

As she took another bite of her eggs, Bonnie continued on "So now, the odd number of cheerleaders must then pick their choice. Whoever gets the most votes gets the captain position."

"So who do ya think is going to win?" John asked as he finished of the last of the oatmeal.

"Hopefully, Kim would win hands down. That's who I'm going with." Bonnie responded, folding her hands in a confident manner, nodding her head in agreement. She knew that Kim had the talent, popularity, and brains enough to win the coveted captain position for the first time in three years. She then turned to her long-time friend. "Camille doesn't have the talents like you do, K. I mean, seriously, you're like the best cheerleader on the team. You know every single cheerleading move in the book, even the death-defying ones. You also definitely have more moral capacities than Camille. And, most importantly, you have leadership and a strong support system and family behind you." She gestured her hand across the room, knowing that the Possible clan would be right behind her every step of the way.

"Speaking of family," Anne wondered, "where's Jim and Tim?"

At the moment she said those words, the Tweebs shot through the kitchen with jet packs on their backs. Kim and Bonnie screamed as they took John and huddled underneath the table.

"So this is breakfast at the Possible household, huh?" John exclaimed as he utilitzed his duck and cover method.

"Yeah, usually." Kim replied as Tim swerved her by.

James immediately turned into a stern mood and said in an angry tone, "Boys, what did I tell you: NO ROCKET FUEL IN THE HOUSE. You know what happened last time when we had to call the fire department on you."

The Tweebs stopped what they were doing and landed safely on the kitchen floor. Kim, Bonnie, and John got up from underneath the table. The red-haired 16-year old gave mean looks to the Tweebs before storming off to the bathroom. She simply wanted to take her shower in peace. Kim does not want anyone to ruin this day, especially from the Tweebs.

Jim and Tim left with Anne at 9:15 to go to football practice.

As she continued to take her shower, she continued to have thoughts of having that captain position. She envisioned that moment in which she, as the captain, would kiss the football captain on the lips at midfield with the entire Mad Dog nation watching. As the dream ended, she fell back into reality.

_Am I just imagining these feelings, or are they becoming real? _Kim wondered through her mind as the water drenched her red hair. After 15 minutes, she stepped out of the shower and put on her bathrobe. Kim then wraped a towel underneath her hair. She proceeded upstairs to her room.

As she opened up her closet she took a look at the two Mad Dog cheerleading uniforms that she wore. On the left was the tear-stained, worn-out gold uniform that she wore on the first two road games. Then, to the right, there was her normal uniform, the purple one that she wore on home games. She chose the uniform to the right.

She put on the purple uniform which exposed her middriff and went downstairs to rejoin the rest of her family.

"Allright, B. My room's all yours." Kim politely gestured to Bonnie before she disappeared briefly in Kim's room. Ten minutes later, Bonnie was in her purple uniform as well. She was ready to finally unleash her 12 years of ballet on the cheerleading floor after being supressed by Veruca's stale dance routines and the dreaded pyramids.

The two cheerleaders then went outside and practiced their cheerleading routine for 30 minutes before Bonnie brought up the issue of uniting the squad together.

"K, uniting a squad is not going to be easy. You know that there have been divisions within the squad ever since Veruca was captain. You are our only hope of bringing this squad together." Bonnie put her hand on Kim's side "I have faith in you that you can be one of the greatest captains in the history of the Mad Dog cheer squad."

For the first time in 12 hours, Kim's spirits were lifted by those comforting words from Bonnie. This was her chance to erase what damage Veruca had done to the squad and to restore spirit within the team.

Kim looked at her Kimmunicator for the time: 10:15.

She gasped. "We gotta get to the school, B, and fast!"

Bonnie agreed. She immediately called up Sharpay to give both of them a ride. A few minutes later, Sharpay arrived with Tara. Bonnie and Kim got in and the car drove off.

As Mr. and Mrs. Possible saw Sharpay's car fading away into the street, they questioned on the future of their daughter.

"If she becomes a cheerleading captain, I don't want to see her act in a similar fashion as that blond-haired brat. I have taught her enough morals that would convince her to stay away from the bad influences in her life." James said as he stared out into the cloudy Tuesday sky.

"Oh, nonsense, James dear. She's a headstrong young woman who is not afraid to back down from any challenge. We have to keep on rooting for our daughter." Anne replied as she gave her husband a kiss and both Possible parents went back into the house.

Meanwhile, on the west side of town, evil plans were formulating in Camille Leon's brain.


	49. Camille's Temptations

Setting: Leon Mansion

Time: 7:00am

Clouds and a few raindrops greeted Camille's bedroom window. Debutante, her pet cat, rubbed up against Camille's face.

Camille slowly stirred out of bed. A horde of butlers and servants greeted the 17-year old cat-food heiress. It was going to be the biggest day of her life. Cheerleading elections for Middleton High had finally arrived.

As the deb got primmed up for the day, she had to think of a plan to beat Kim in the cheerleading elections and to win Ron's heart, all without running the risk of being kicked off the team by Mrs. Johnson and the intrusion of the law. She obviously was smarter than Veruca and had a bit more school spirit within herself but was less talented at cheerleading than the former captain. She wanted to avenge Veruca's incarceration and to gain revenge for what Kim had done to her best friend of 13 years.

But she can't accomplish this plan alone.

Camille sent a series of text messages to London to get on over to her mansion so that she could discuss her plan.

London arrived at Camille's house at 8:00. Camille greeted her at the door. Debutante purred at her feet. Both the co-horts hugged each other and jumped up and down before getting down to business.

Camille snapped her fingers for her armada of butlers. "Guide me and London to: my spa area."

"Yes, Miss Leon, we will do as you command." The armada of butler replied, having no hearts or souls in a single fiber of their bodies. They guided Camille, her cat, and London to her on-site spa down below the Leon Mansion.

As she continued to go through treatment after treatment with London, Camille discussed her plan.

"All right, like, London, here's the plan." Camille chuckled slightly as she was getting a mud bath. "You know, like, that story in the Bible? I'm trying to remember what it is. It's been so long since I was kicked out of church for stealing the collection plate to buy, like, these tabloid magazines." Camille pointed out to a stack of 80 tabloid magazines that had the hotel heiress' image on every single one of them. "Aha, now I remember! It's when Jesus was, like, trapped in that desert for 40 days and Satan tries to tempt him with all these gifts, including the kingdoms of the world. I don't know how it ends, but I think Satan wins in the end." It was clear that she lacked knowledge in the Good Book.

"Yeah, so?" London wondered, noting the first time that they tried the use of temptation, "Trying to tempt the Fringe cheerleaders is not going to be easy. Remember at Kim's inquisition trial? Their wills were pretty damn strong and that led to her acquital and the beginning of Veruca's downfall."

The two spoiled brats exited the tubs and prepared for the makeup part of the session.

"Oh, like, I know that their wills are strong." Camille smirked as she stepped into the sauna with London. "But watch this!"

She rang a little bell for her personal paperbooy. "Paperboy, bring me today's paper."

Her paperboy did so. Camille opened up to the style & arts section. The pink mascara from her nails were dripping from her fingertips.

"Take a good look at E-2, London. Look at the top headline." Camille said as she handed the style section to London.

London gazed her eyes to the very top of E-2. The big bold letters immediately caught her attenion. She screamed at the top of her lungs when the headline read:

**JONAS BROTHERS COMING TO LOUISIANA SUPERDOME SATURDAY, EXCITED TO BE HERE**

Camille gave an evil laugh and explained the beauty of her plan. "Like I said, the Fringe cheerleaders wills are, like, strong when it comes to defending Kim and rejecting the hotel heiress, but just mention the name Jonas Brothers in their presence, they tend to get weak-willed. And now, since they are coming to New Orleans with, like 70,000 girls screaming to death for them, it won't be difficult at all attracting the Fringe cheerleaders, and maybe a couple of Possible's friends, to the concert. That captain position IS ALL MINE!!!! MWAHHAHAHAHA!!!!!" Her evil laugh echoed the vibrant walls of the spa.

"I see the beauty of our plan unfolding into action: us sitting in a Jonas Brothers concert. YAY!! This is the best moment of my life!!" London then dropped her gleeful smile for a minute. "But how are you going to get into the concert. The tickets cost around $5,000."

Camille just simply laughed and chuckled. "Oh, London, London, London. Why do you have such little faith in me?" She clapped her hands three times. One of her subserviant butlers came into the spa with a silver platter. The deb opened up the lid to the platter. London instantly screamed so loud that it would attract the dead.

In that platter were 15 front-row tickets to the Jonas Brothers Concert on Saturday, plus backstage passes, and 15 copies of all three Jonas Brothers, ready to be autographed. They were protected by a locked glass case so that the steam from the sauna wouldn't devalue the tickets. None of the tickets were counterfit. All 15 of them were real.

London hugged Camille in the sauna, still screaming. "Oh, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!"

"It cost me about $85,000, but it will be a small price to pay for getting that cheer captain position. If Veruca tried to tempt

London, who was a huge fan of the Jonas Brothers, calmed herself down finally. She now fully realized the beauty of Camille's plan: tempation through the legal channels. Unlike the Salt family, the Tipton and Leon families had good credit histories. The two families didn't have a history of debt at all. The Tiptons and the Leons were well-equipped with the best financial minds in the nation to both weather the recession and to allow their spoiled daughters to continue their lavish spending. The Salts, though, chose the worst financial minds in the nation. As a result, Camille and London's shopping sprees barely even touched the attention of the IRS because of their rock-solid financial foundation. Veruca's shopping sprees, on the other hand, attracted the local authorities because the Salts owed half a million dollars to the federal government. Because Veruca's shopping sprees didn't stop, she had to suffer the unfortunate consquences of her deliberate actions.

Camille was more than confident enough that her plan with the Jonas Brothers concert will work.

"I see the first half of your plan, but what's the second half?" London asked her longtime deb friend.

"The second half of my plan, like, will involve the star tailback, Ron Stoppable. According to the Middleton High food chain, the captain of cheer team must, like, date the star of the Mad Dog football team." Camille answered as the warm bubbles of the sauna massaged her body.

"Good concept, Camille, but there's one problem." London drew a bland expression on her face "Possible has been friends with Ron since Pre-K. How are you going to attract him?"

"Duh, that's why I brought, like, you here, London." Camille slapped her forehead with her hand. "I'm, so like, getting 'The Works' done on myself. When my spa treatment is done, I will be so, like, drop-dead gorgeous that no man will be able to resist me, not even Ron Stoppable." She gave an evil smirk as she finished up with "The Works".

As Camille and London came out of the Leon Spa, London looked the same with just a pedicure and a manicure. Camille, on the other hand, looked more beautiful than usual. Her golden blonde hair shone like the fancy Leon family chandelier heirloom that they had since the turn of the century. The two proceeded to put on their purple cheer uniforms as they headed out to the Middleton High Gym. The cat-food heiress also took the silver platter containing the Jonas Brothers memorabilla to tempt the Fringe. Camille's top chauffeur opened the limo door for the two spoiled brats. Camille and London smiled each other as the limo proceeded its way to school.

When the limo reached the gym parking lot, Camille took one deep breath of fresh air. The time for elections was nigh. Even though it was still cloudy, dismal, and gray outside, Camille's face shone with a sense of pride, confident that her two-part plan will work without any interference from Kim. Just the vision of her kissing Ron at midfield in the post-game celebrations would bring even further joy and happiness to her.

And the temptation for Camille to become Ron's beauty became even stronger through another series of events that happened just across the school grounds on the practice field.


	50. Changing of the Football Captains

Setting: Middleton Practice Field  
Time: 10:00am, Tuesday

The peaceful silence of the Middleton practice field was interrupted by the thunderous sound of 87 pairs of cleats running across the field. A cold 48 degree air surrounds the players.

The Mad Dog football team, now with three starters out, were putting the horrible memories of Game 2 behind and focusing all their attention on Game 3. Coach Barkin understood that he didn't want to overwork his players at all, yet he didn't want his team to make the same mistakes as they did in Game 2.

Coach Barkin began his players with the usual set of stretches and pushups before everyone branched off into their position practice.

Among the 87 players that were still active on the team, Ron was the one that the Mad Dog Nation still pinned their hopes on for their best chance to upset the Tigers. He continued to outmanuever the practice defense with his running abilities. Number 7 still had one other thing on his mind besides football .... Kim. He still dreamed of fulfilling the promise that they made to each other to win Game 3 in Middleton Stadium and he still envisioned that kiss with her at midfield. Right now though, football took up the majority of his mind right now.

The practice continued to last for two and a half hours before Barkin blew his whistle to assemble his players to the media room to look over the film of Game 2. It was painful for the players to go over the film, to see every single turnover and miscue that they had made, to see every open hole the Mad Dog defense allowed, and, worst of all, to see the haunting image of Ron screaming underneath that towel. But they had to suffer through it so that the mistakes wouldn't be made. Even Ron couldn't bare to watch the horrifying images creep into his mind.

As the film concluded, Barkin addressed his players. "Not bad, today's practice wasn't bad at all. The running game, the secondary, defensive line, and the offensive line, once again got the most praise from me. However, we still need to work with our receivers and linebackers. We cannot continue to allow rushing yards to the Tigers. NOT IN OUR HOUSE!!! IS THAT CLEAR?

"SIR, YES SIR," All 87 Mad Dog players echoed in unision. After doing the team prayer and the Mad Dog Chant, some of the players departed to the weight room while the other players prepared to head out to the parking lot to discuss what should be the best strategy to contain that Tiger running game.

Ron was about to head out the door when Coach Barkin tapped him on the shoulder.

"Stoppable, I need you in my office. It's very urgent." Barkin said in a concerned manner.

"Yes, sir," Ron obeyed the head coach's command as he made his way out of the door to Coach Barkin's office. Ron was concerned by this. _Was it because of my poor performance in Game 2? Oh, man. did i break any team rules? WHAT'S GOING ON?!?! _All these thoughts flowed into Ron's head, drowning out the image of Kim for a moment. Both Ron and Coach Barkin made their way from the media room to the athletic offices.

Ron took a seat in the head coach's office as Coach Barkin sat behind his front desk in his chair. Trophies of past Mad Dog victories surrounded him.

The star tailback had a scared look on his face, fearing that he might be in trouble. Sensing this, Barkin laughed at Ron's expression.

"I can see that look, Stoppable." Barkin said with a couple of chuckles. "You're not in trouble for anything, Stoppable. You're one of the best damn players that I've seen to play the game. We hit a few little rough edges last night."

Barkin then congradulated him on Ron's song, "Nice blues song, Stoppable. It really touched my heart. So, this afternoon, instead of running 20 laps around the track, I have cut it down to just eight."

"Thank you, sir. I was trying to capture the sadness and hardships of our team in that song, Coach Barkin." Ron said as he breathed a sigh of relief that he was still on the team.

"Besides, the reason why I called you in here, Stoppable, is the issue of leadership." Barkin responded as he stood up from his chair, hands behind his back. He turned behind Ron's back for a moment.

"You know that Eugene Thompson, our star middle linebacker, suffered a broken leg?" Barkin stared out to the Middleton suburbs through the blinds.

"Yes, sir." Ron understood Barkin's statement. To show concern for their fallen leader, he asked the delicate question, "How bad it?"

Barkin sighed and lowered his head. "Stoppable, it's going to take Thompson six months to recover from that broken leg. Our football team captain is out for the series, and I need someone to take his place."

"I understand, Coach Barkin, sir," Ron nodded his head in agreement. He knew how Eugene was such a vital player to the team's defense. It would be an empty hole without him giving signals to the defense, making sure all their assignments are covered. Eugene also made sure that, as the team captain, he keeps the team pumped up with that Mad Dog school spirit, before, during and after a game, win or loss.

Barkin then noted a gleam in his eye. He then turned his full attention back to Ron, "Say, Stoppable, weren't you once the Middleton Mad Dog mascot?"

"Yes, sir. I was the Mascot for my entire freshman year and for the first half of my sophomore year." Ron responded. He thought again back to those Friday nights when he was the mascot of the team, spraying that banana cream around his face as Kim, Bonnie and the entire squad watched.

Barkin's face then turned in a stern manner "I also heard that you quit being the Middleton Mad Dog last year. Is that right?"

"Yes, sir." Ron responded to the Mad Dog head coach. His happy look quickly turned angry. "It was Veruca who killed the Middleton Mad Dog. She whined and complained about my banana cream foam and my constant barking and growling. So, as the cheerleading captain, she stripped all meaning of the Mad Dog, my Mad Dog, and transformed it into a bland abomination."

Barkin suddenly exclaimed. "Oh yeah! Now I remember! We used to be 6-1 on the season before losing three of our last five games, including the playoff loss to Meridian. Yeah, that Veruca was a horrible choice for cheerleading captain. Good thing she's locked away in the county jail."

Ron agreed with Barkin as he folded his hands. "Yeah, good riddance to her." He blew a sideways raspberry before turning his body back to Barkin's attention.

"Anyways, Stoppable," Barkin continued, "you have been the best junior football player I've seen in a long time. You have been the hope and inspiration to this team, first as a mascot, and now as a football player. You have a lot of firey determination, heart and courage inside of you. You have a lot of leadership potential in you. You have shown good sportsmanlike conduct, on and off the field. You are the heart and soul of this football team. If you know how to pump up a Mad Dog crowd, you can certainly know how to pump up an entire football team."

Ron was opening his mouth. "You-you mean I'm the-I'm the ....." he stuttered.

"That's right, Stoppable, you're our new FOOTBALL TEAM CAPTAIN!!!!!!" Barkin proudly proclaimed in his happiest mood yet to Ron.

Ron was shocked and excited at the same time. He never felt such a joyous occasion sweep over him like this before. It felt like that all the troubles of his past simply melted away in front of him as Barkin announced a new leader of the football team, Ron Stoppable, the first junior football captain in all of Mad Dog history. He, at last, was on top of the Middleton High food chain.

"Now, go on, Stoppable and celebrate. I think Possible is waiting for you." Barkin said as he sat back down in his desk, organizing his papers

"Boo-yah," he exclaimed as he raised his fist in the air in triumph. He ran across the hallway, out the fieldhouse doors and into the empty parking lot next to the football field. Ron continued to dance in triumph on the lot. He can't wait to tell Kim the good news that he is the new football captain of the team.

Little did he know that his new football captain status would soon face the competition of attraction between two cheerleaders, Camille and Kim.


	51. The Cheerleading Elections

Setting: Middleton Gym

Time: 10:20am, Tuesday

As the limosine drove up to the gym, Camille and London stepped out of the car with the silver platter containing the Jonas Brothers tickets and backstage passes. The two debs, along with the platter, went into the large dressing room down below the gym. It had 23 lockers plus a personal locker for the Middleton Mad Dog mascot. Camille came up the empty locker of Veruca Salt. She put aside the platter and raised her fist in the air, as if she was avenging a personal death.

"Veruca, I swear, I will, like, avenge your incarceration by Possible. I will make sure that little Possible bastard does not get that captain position. I swear it." Camille said in a dramatic pose before lowering her fist.

"Alright, Camille, I've seen your dramatic poses about 800 times already. Now let's get this overwith." London folded her arms and took the top off the platter. Camille shurgged her arms as she took the key to unlock the glass case that held the tickets and backstage passes. She planted one Jonas Brothers ticket at each of the places where the 13 Fringe cheerleaders sat, along with a backstage pass that she put at the back of their chairs. The two cheerleaders left the changing room at 10:30 to begin the election set-up. At 10:35, almost all the cheerleaders came in to the dressing room in full uniforms. London and Camille did the setup the elections and Kim, Bonnie, Sharpay, and Tara were on their way. The first thing that the cheerleaders noticed were the Jonas Brothers tickets, the photos of the three artists, and the backstage passes. A few of the cheerleaders, who were devout fans of the band, hugged and kissed their tickets and backstage passes.

Bebe was the first to notice that something was wrong. She thought to herself for a moment, _The Jonas Brothers tickets and backstage passes for that concert in New Orleans cost around $6,500. Well, they aren't counterfit, that's for sure. If I multiply it by 13, it would be around $85,000. Who would want to buy these tickets for that much? Wait a minute!! I've seen this tactic before!!_

Bebe immediately opened her mouth and gasped. She motioned for Lisa, Marcella, Hope, Liz, and Maddie to go into the girls' bathroom.

As the six cheerleaders closed the bathroom door, Liz, the other red-haired cheerleader besides Kim, whispered "What the hell are we doing here in the girls' restroom?"

Bebe answered back quietly "Don't you realize what's going on here? This is a tactic that I have seen a few days earlier!! Think back to Kim's trial last Saturday."

Marcella then imagined herself in that conference room that acted as the jury for Kim's trial. "Now I remember, Bebe!! Veruca tried to bribe us with clothing that had the images of the harlot on them, and we threw those clothes away."

Bebe then figured out the plan to Camille's scheme. "Camille is the biggest Jonas Brothers fan on this squad and so is London. So, from what I can conclude, she was trying to bribe us with $85,000 worth of Jonas Brothers tickets and backstage passes under the assumption that all of us cheerleaders were Jonas Brothers fans and that we only listen to their music. Well, guess what, she neglected the fact that all of us like different styles of music."

Hope shared a similar opinion as well, "Yeah, I mean, I like all types of music. Some of us like boy bands, some of us don't. My most obvious favorite aritist is Elton John. His songs were popular back in the seventies and still have a huge impact today."

Liz added her views of music in too "Me, I don't aim for today's music. I aim more for the Rolling Stones or the Beatles."

Bebe then huddled the other cheerleaders together and whispered, "To me, this bribing thing has gone on far enough. We definitely need to vote for Kim as the captain. Although we can't tear up the tickets, according to Mississippi law, we'll just simply leave them be and not touch them at all." The other five cheerleaders agreed.

The six cheerleaders went back to the dressing room. They just left the Jonas Brothers concert tickets in there, untouched, as they applied the final touches of makeup to their faces.

-----------------------------------------

As 10:45 rolled around, Kim, Bonnie, Sharpay, Tara, and Caitlin arrived at the gym.

The wind was still blowing around Kim's red hair. "This is it, girls. Three years of oppression end here today." she declared as she prepared to walk underneath the awning connecting to the gym.

"Sharpay, it was nice of giving up your candidacy for the captain position, but why?" Tara asked. She was stunned that a senior cheerleader who had far more morals than Veruca would sacrifice her captain candidacy.

Sharpay explained her reasoning for this great sacrifice,"Well, for one thing, there have been recent events in the Evans family and the other thing is that the captain position bears much responsibility on the squad. Plus, there's the Middleton High food chain, as you know, the captain of the cheering squad is, like, the top of the pyramid, and that's a lot of pressure."

Bonnie also gave her primary reason why she can't be the captain "Leadership skills are something that I certainly lack. So, in other words, K is our best hope to become captain of this squad."

"Aw, it's no big, B" Kim responded calmly, "Camille doesn't even stand a chance against me. The years that she has been with Veruca will cost her in the end."

"You're right, Kim," Tara nodded her head in agreement, "the way that she acted as Veruca's lackey, and that she has abused her co-captain power multiple times will really be damaging to her."

Kim then took out the speech that she prepared for the election. "I've been rehearsing this speech since this morning. Hopefully, I won't screw up."

"No, you won't screw up," Bonnie laughed as she opened the double-doors leading up the gym floor. "I have complete confidence in you, K."

Kim's posse looked around the gym floor. The election setup was almost perfect. There were three rows of seven folding chairs and there was a raised platform in front of them. On that platform was a podium in the center and two smaller podiums on either side for the candidates. They were equipped with a glass of water and a microphone attached to the gym's speaker system so that all the cheerleaders can hear the candidates' speeches. There were also three other folding chairs on the platform for the coaches.

Tara, Bonnie, Caitlin, and Sharpay took their places on the folding chairs as they waited for the other cheerleaders to arrive. Kim remained standing for the next few minutes on the left side of the front row.

At 10:50, Camille and London entered into the gym with Carm and Sandi. London, Carm, Sandi took their places behind Kim's group and gave angry stares at them. Camille stood on the right end of front row. She gave a low smirk at Kim and Kim gave an angry glare back at her.

The cat-food heiress thought that her plan with the Jonas Brothers tickets worked to perfection.

Now, it was 11:00. At that exact moment, the 13 Fringe cheerleaders came in along with Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Jackson, and Mrs. Newman. The cheerleaders took to their places on the chairs. The assistant coaches ascended to the platforms where they sat in the three folding chairs. They acted as moderators for this all-important captain debate to make sure that nothing goes wrong.

Mrs. Johnson walked to the main podium and began her opening statements to the Mad Dog Cheer Squad. Her voice boomed through the microphone "Testing, 1..2..3.. Testing, testing:

"Welcome, one and all, to the Middleton High Cheerleading Captain Elections. I am, of course, Mrs. Katie Johnson, the lead moderator for this debate. Because of recent 'events' involving our old captain, I have decided to call this emergency election according to the Middleton Cheerleading Code. Section 3, Rule 7 states the following: 'If a senior captain is incaracerated or unable to complete her tenure, a emergency election shall be called as soon as possible. A new captain can then be selected, regardless of seniority.' First of all, two candidates must be selected from the Squad. The way that it's going to work is that neither the mascot nor the candidates can vote so that will leave about 19 votes. The 19 votes will then be placed in this box. The cheerleaders either vote for Candidate A or Candidate B, not both of them. Whoever gets 10 votes will get the captain position. The new captain can then choose two new co-captains of her liking. Applause will be withheld until the winner is announced. That's the way that emergency elections have worked throughout the squad's history and it will be no different here. So, without further ado, has the squad selected their two candidates?"

Camille first stepped in front of the platform and announced her candidacy to all the Mad Dog cheerleaders, "I, Camille Whitney Leon, will be, like, a candidate for the captain position of this squad." As she made her formal announcement, she gathered up a pile of papers that were stapled together which appeared to be her speech papers. Camille walked to the left podium as she took a sip of water.

Kim then approached the platform next and announced her candidacy in a clear and understandable tone, "I, Kimberly Anne Possible, will be a candidate for the captain position of the Middleton High Cheerleading Squad." After the announcement was made, she took her place on the right podium.

Mrs. Johnson concluded her introduction, "Alright, now that the two candidates are assembled to their respective platforms, you may begin your opening statements. I expect a clean debate from you two. Our cheerleading integrity hangs on a clean election."

Camille cleared up her voice and began her opening remarks first:

"I, Camille Leon, bring to you four years of experience on this squad. I have, like, the traits of experience, honesty, and integrity. I will bring to this squad a sense of high morals that has not been seen on this squad in four years. I also will bring to you fewer physically-demanding pyramids and more school spirit to a cheer squad who wants more leadership. My opponent is, like, too young to lead the squad. She has no experience in running a squad that has been, like, nationally recognized by _Prep Cheerleading World. _My opponents will also succumb to the demands of being a cheer captain."

She turned off the lights momentarily to show a PowerPoint slide of the Middleton High Food Chain. "The MHS food chain is rigorously organized. My opponent, Kimberly Anne, has dated one Joshua Mankey, a hottie artist and a third-string linebacker on the team, which is right in the middle of the food chain." She also pointed out a picture of Ron in his freshman year with her laser pointer "She also has been seen around Ron Stoppable, who is at the bottom of the food chain in the ninth grade. But his rank clearly rose." Camille dragged her laser pointer to the near-top of the slide. "Now, he is almost right here. This goes to show that my opponent is very inconsistent in her choice of boys, for it its written in the MHS Food Chain that the football star captain is the highest position a male student at this school can attain. He must be around with one person only, the cheerleading captain at all social events, on and off the field. I promise that I will remain consistent and that I will help out within the Middleton community with the football captain at all Mad Dog events."

As the lights turned back on, Camille wrapped up her opening remarks, "So I promise to, like, keep the Squad intact for the rest of the school year, since it is my senior year here. I vow to keep all the rules of the Code intact without any blemish of stain on them. And I will restore the integrity of the Mad Dog School Spirit within the squad." She took a sip of water from the glass and sat down from the podium.

-----------

_Pig-faced liar, _Bebe thought to herself from the second row. She was clearly giving an angry look towards her, _Her so-called honesty is nothing more than a bunch of bullshit. She tried to bribe us with those Jonas Brothers tickets. Heh! Integrity, my ass! She's going to degrade our situation even more. Kim is going to eat her alive in her opening remarks._

---------------

Kim, being trained by the best of GJ diplomats whenever the threat of world conquest came up, stood at the right podium, ready and armed to make her first opening statement:

"I, Kimberly Anne Possible, have been a part of the Middleton High cheering squad for three years now. Even though I may be a year younger than Camille, I have been trained by the very best of skilled diplomats. I bring to you a real sense of Mad Dog pride that has been neglected for the past four years. I bring real truth, honesty, and a very high sense of morals to the squad, unlike my opponent here." She pointed her finger into the direction of Camille. "My opponent has been a friend or, shall I say this, 'right-hand woman' of Veruca for 13 years, especially when she became co-captain to that deb. And what have we seen from her? Nothing! Nothing but moral ruin and decay of the likes that we have never seen. She also shows her 'Mad Dog Spirit', or lack thereof, by not attending prayer circles. She clearly lacks morals and has, prior to the Sunday Night Swirlies, been standing by Veruca's side. Camille has also joined with Veruca's vote to silence our beloved Middleton Mad Dog mascot when Ron was a part of this squad. The Mad Dog mascot was a primary reason for fans to come to Middleton High Stadium for fun, excitement, and a whole lot of noise. That is, until, the eighth week of last season. For example, I have a direct quote from Camille: 'I totally, like, do not approve of the Mad Dog (Ron) using his banana cream foam all over us. It ruins the cheer uniforms. I had to spend two days scrubbing my uniform just to remove these banana cream stains. And the growling has, like, obviously got to stop. It makes Ron look like an asshole.' As a result, the Mad Dog Mascot was reduced down to a mere spectator. Ron had no choice but to quit the team. We were 6-1 at the time but after that decision we lost the last 3 of our 5 games, including the close loss to Meridian in the first round. Football attendance figures dropped by nearly 20% because of Veruca's poor decision. I am not making this up, these are pure facts. Our basketball team has also suffered its first losing season in a decade. So, voting for Camille to be cheer captian would be the worst decision ever for this team."

Kim then drew her advantages to the cheering voters, "If I am elected captain of this squad, I can help reverse the damage that Veruca has caused to this team. I will make sure that the Middleton Mad Dog can finally bark again and spew banana cream everywhere. I will make sure that attendance will rise back to its peak. I will also make sure that everyone can perform their own unique cheers, like with Bonnie for example." Kim politely gestured her heand at Bonnie. "She has had 12 years of ballet underneath her belt, yet we had to suffer from the same mundane exercises by Veruca. Bonnie should be allowed to display her unique talents to the squad as well under my tenure."

The red-haired cheerleader continued her speech "Most importantly, I will rarely institute any physically-demanding pyramids. Morality will be restored to this team, and the school spirit of the Mad Dogs will rise again underneath my command. Together, there will be unity, not disunity. We will work together as a team, not as fragmented parts. I will make sure that the Code will be kept safe."

She then cited some of the weaknesses of the Code underneath Veruca's watch "Yet, some of the rules that have been made to the Code were created during Veruca's reign as captain. They were not only oppressive and dictatorial, but also physically demanding and brutal as well. For example: Section 4, Rule 10. This was implemented by Veruca a couple of years ago. It said 'That every third period of every football game, a pyramid of nine (9) cheerleaders shall be established with the captain on top.' Did you remember how phyically demanding it was to have eight cheerleaders plus Veruca on top?"

Tara, Bebe, Bonnie, and Lisa nodded their heads in agreement with Kim. They knew how physically demanding it was to have five other cheerleaders on top of them. Bonnie's injury was the worst with the broken leg.

Kim continued on with her speech, "Then, if I am elected captain, I shall remove that rule from the record, with the help of Mrs. Johnson, of course. And then there is the rule that Veruca implemented after she stripped the Middleton Mad Dog mascot of all its meaning last year: Section 7, Rule 2: 'Neither banana cream, nor growling noises shall be allowed from the Mad Dog mascot" This rule demeans the meaning of the Mad Dog. So, if I am elected captain, the dignity of our beloved mascot shall be restored by striking down this rule, again with the approval of Mrs. Johnson as well."

Then she drew a very sharp attack on Camille, "Camille, under the influence of Veruca, has approved these two rules that have proven to be so damaging to this squad."

Her opening remarks concluded with a mockery of Camille's opening remarks.

"All my opponent's promises are just more of the same from Veruca. She only cares about her money and her looks. I clearly have honesty and integrity and I have helped out in the community. My opponent has neither of those three qualities. I shall restore the very true meaning of the Mad Dog School Spirit, something that Camille has lacked to an extent. And the morals that have kept the squad together will be retied if I am to be captain. Thank you."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next 15 minutes were rebuttals between the two candidates. Camille attacked Kim for her relationship with Josh and for not being a part of the order of the Middleton High food chain and for being too "immature". Kim quickly countered Camille by painting the cat-food heiress as Veruca's "yes-woman" and approving every single decision, under Veruca's close watch, to supress her competition. It became a stalemate between the two competing cheerleaders to obtain that captainship.

For the closing remarks, Camille concluded her captain candidacy to the 19 eligible voters. "If you, like, vote for me as captain, I will make sure that the Mad Dogs cheerleaders will win State again. Like, honor, and order will be restored underneath my watch. So please, vote for Camille Leon today." she said with a glee as she went back to take her seat. _Oh, the Jonas Brothers concert will help me win the captain position and Veruca's incarceration will be avenged, _she said to herself.

Kim then initiated her closing remarks as well. "Look deep down inside your hearts. Ask yourselves this question. Do you want the same old oppression of Veruca underneath Camille's leadership, or do you want a sense of morality and unity underneath my leadership. As you make your vote, do the right thing by voting for me, Kim Possible, as your cheering captain. I can help save this squad." She sat back down to her seat.

After all that debating, the cheerleaders applauded the candidates.

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The motivation to become the cheering captain got even higher. The time was now 12:30. Both Kim and Camille were worn down by the strenuous debates. The voting was scheduled for 1:00.

The cheerleaders were just simply enjoying their break.

Bebe suddenly felt a vibrating noise in her purse. She investigated to find out that it was her cell phone notifying her that she had a text message from Butters Stotch, the new starting defensive end. Bebe pressed the button on her cell to read the message. It said: _Ron Stoppable is our new football captain -Butters. _Bebe had a shrill look to her face, but she knew to keep silent because this match of Ron being the new captain of the football could spread like wildfire to the rest of the squad.

It didn't matter anyways because all the cheerleaders either know the football players as friends or that they have a current boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with them.

The next cheerleader to receive the fateful text was Tara. Tara heard that one ring of her iPhone from her purse. She pulled the iPhone out. It was from Josh, her new boyfriend and the third-string linebacker. She got Josh's text message that Ron was the new captain of the football team.

Tara then looked at Bonnie and sent her own message to the tan-skinned cheerleader: _Ron is now the new football captain -h&k Tara. _She immediately pressed send.

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Bonnie was talking to Kim about the election.

"So hopefully, K, you'll get more than the 10 votes necessary to become captain. There's me, Tara, Bebe, Caitlin .... " Bonnie said before she heard her cell phone vibrate, "Wait a minute, I got a text."

In her huge handbag, she pulled out her cell phone and, on the LC display, it read "1 new message from Tara". Bonnie immediately opened up her cell phone inbox and read the message that Ron was the new football captain. She immediately bulged out her blue-green eyes and dropped her jaw.

Kim noticed that Bonnie was in a different mood when she had that look on her face.

"B? Is there something wrong?" she asked, knowing that something big was coming.

Bonnie slowly turned her cell phone to Kim's attention. All Kim had to do was to take one glance at that cell phone message that her long-time friend and sidekick was now the star captain of the Mad Dog football team.

One sound from Kim was all she needed "YYYYEEEESSSS!!!". Kim jumped for joy up and down. Bonnie joined in as well. It was nice to see her longtime friend as the star captain of the football team.

Then, the elections hit Bonnie's thoughts like a rock. She now realized the potential social consequences. _Now that Ron is on top of the food chain, and being the cheering captain is the top position for a girl at this school, its going to be ... GASP ... a battle between Camille and Kim! _Bonnie now realized that the stakes for the cheering captain positon has been raised even higher.

_Luckily, Camille doesn't know about this news. _she said to herself as she sat back down from celebrating her friend's newfound stardom.

Bonnie, as it turns out, proved to be wrong for one of the few times in her life.

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London happened to have a boyfriend in Jimmie Hopkins, the junior linebacker and the "bad boy" on the Mad Dog team. Jimmie texted the message to London that Ron was new the new football captain. London whispered in Camille's ear about the recent news of Ron. Camille screamed and went into her victory pose.

_Damn that London, _Bonnie thought to herself, _now Camille knows about this too._

The stakes for the captain election have raised to a new level.


	52. And The Winner Is

Time: 1:00pm

Location: Middleton Gym

It was now 1:00.

The moment of truth.

All of the cheerleaders departed from Kim, Camiile and Libby, who was the Middleton Mad Dog mascot. They went to a hidden room downstairs to take up their votes

Libby had to leave the gym becauses she had a dentist appointment to go to.

"Ok, Kim, I gotta go to my dentist appointment. See ya tomorrow!" Libby exclaimed as she propped open the double doors.

"You too," Kim called back as she was left alone on the gym floor.

The 19 cheerleaders prepared to cast their ballots. Was their captain going to be Kim Possible, a do-it-all headstrong young woman who had save the world hundreds of times as a superagent and at the same be one of the best cheerleaders the state of Mississippi has ever seen? Or was it going to be Camille Leon, a do-nothing cat-food heiress who often went on shopping sprees and often spent time with Veruca for the last 13 years prior to the Sunday Night Swirlie betrayls. The choice was in the cheerleaders' hands. The very structure of the Middleton High food chain and the chance of uniting a fragmented cheer squad hanged in the balance.

-----------------------------------------

Kim was the only cheerleader still on the gym floor. She was practically alone with her thoughts. She walked to the exact same spot where she had suffered the knee injury that cost her the captain title to Veruca four years earlier. It was like reliving her worst nightmare. She only gave an angry scowl at how Veruca ruined her life. _Four years of this hell end today. _Kim thought to herself as she then walked to the area where Bonnie and the girls saved her life.

_If it weren't for her, I would've been paralyzed, or worse, _Kim continued to think to herself as she walked aimlessly across the gym. She was thinking of the strong bond of friendship that she had with Bonnie and those girls that day. _Without them, I wouldn't have made it to this point. _

She focused her atttention then to the other thought that preoccupied her mind: Ron being the football captain. It was hard to believe that the young boy who had been traumatized by the horrors of Camp Wannaweep was now the same young man who occupied the top of the Middleton High food chain. A stready stream of conscious thoughts ran at a very fast pace through Kim's head. _If I get elected as the cheer captain, I would be seen everywhere with Ron. We would have to be at every Mad Dog booster event, together. That's enough pressure on me right now. And then, there's the way that we've been emotionally and physically attached to each other for the last three months. The times we held our hand together, the times when we both came closer and closer to each other. Do I really want to elevate my friendship with Ron to the next level yet? _Kim still asked that question repeatedly to herself as she contined to walk aimlessly around the gym before finally lying down on the first row of the folded chairs. Her red hair now laid out in a mess on the end chair and her skin touched the cold metal that was underneath her.

The cold metal then struck into Kim's mind the very image of Camille. _Now that Ron is the football captain, Camille would do everything in her power to get that cheerleading captain spot ... .Wait a minute_. _Now I realize what she's trying to do. She's trying to become captain just so that she_ _can have Ron all to herself. If she gets ahold of that captain position, there is no telling what damage she could do not just to the cheer squad but also the football team as well. Imagine the scandals that would haunt Ron's mind if Camille tries to establish a relationship with our star tailback!! _She then gave a long shudder, then continued with her thoughts.

_I absolutely HAVE to defend Ron from the influence of Camille! He's been my best friend for a very long time and I don't want him to fall into her evil clutches. I just don't want him to be underneath the influence of her!! I mean, imagine if he got pulled over arrested by the cops for Camille doing "God-knows-what" to Ron while that stupid cat-food heiress goes off scot-free. Oh, God, I can't forgive myself for this! And neither could his parents!! _At that point, she buried her face in her hands briefly before making an angry pose, _I NEED to gain that cheerleading captain position not just for the sake of the squad but also for the sake of Ron and his well-being!!_

All of these concerns filled up Kim's mind as she rested her body from all the debating that she did.

------------------------------------------------------------

Outside the gym, Camille gave a slight evil chuckle to herself. She thought that no Fringe cheerleader could resist such a popular band as the Jonas Brothers. She believed that it was the most evil legit way to earn that captain position, unlike her former friend who used the illegal methods of retaining her captainship before being kicked off the squad and is currently behind bars.

She stroked her blonde hair, thinking that she had the captain position in the bag.

This way, Camille could enact the second phase of her evil plan: dating Ron Stoppable and taking advantage of him. She could simply imagine herself "dating" the star tailback and captain of the football team. Camille envisioned the sickest way that she would kiss Ron at midfield after Game 3: French kissing him, right in front of the whole Mad Dog Nation and student body. She could visualize the sight of flashing digital camera bulbs dancing through her head.

Then, after Game 3 post-game show, she would take Ron to the nearest romantic lake in the state and perform her "dirty sinful business" on Ron. Then, once her "dirty sinful business" on Ron was complete, she would then get the strongest alcoholic beverage that she jimmied from the Leon liquor cabinet and ingest Ron with the liquor. The cat-food debutate wanted Ron to erase every single memory that he had with Kim.

That way, he would be at the complete mercy of Camille, following her every whim. He would be taken advantage of every single step of the way.

Then Camille pictured the headlines in the Hattiesburg news stands: **HEAD CHEERLEADER DATES STAR TAILBACK, STAR TAILBACK TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF. **There would be page after page of her sick exploits of poor Ron. The deb could envisage the press and the publicity bearing down so much attenion on her that not even Veruca can imagine the grand scale of it. There would be round-the-clock coverage of her daily life.

"Oh, how I can see it now"_, _Camille quietly said in her victory pose.

_The Jonas Brothers tickets must be working on their magic by now, _Camille thought to herself as she continued to envision her disturbing images of a drunk and violated Ron, stumbling across Highway 49, forgetting that he even met Kim on that fateful day in Pre-K. _Once the 10 votes have been counted in my favor, Ron Stoppable will be all mine! And neither Possible nor her little bitches would be able to stop me!! Heh! This is going to be like taking candy from a poor baby. _

Camille gave her traditional evil smirk and twirled her long blonde hair before Mrs. Johnson interrupted her train of sick thoughts of Ron.

"Camille, get back inside! The election results are in." Mrs. Johnson yelled at Camille.

She gave a loud yelp of joy and danced her way back into the gym.

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Kim sat back in an upright position on the chair as the 19 cheerleaders returned with the election results. Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Newman then brought in the metallic ballot box, which was pretty heavy considering that it only had 19 slips of paper in them.

Mrs. Johnson then opened the gym's double doors. Camille then appeared, held back her victory dance and walked to the front like a normal human being. She sat in the front row, predicting that she will win the captain position.

The other 20 cheerleaders sat on the folded chairs as Mrs. Johnson tapped the microphone twice to answer the small crowd. It was now 2:30pm.

Mrs. Johnson announced in a low voice, "All the 19 votes have been counted. I will read the names of the 19 cheerleaders who had voted today and I will read their choice: Camille Leon or Kim Possible. As I pull out the ballots one at a time, I will tally up the totals. Remember, whoever gets 10 of the votes gets the captain position!"

The head cheerleading coach then yelled "Ready?"

Camille was crossing her fingers and closing her blue eyes while Kim and Bonnie held their hands together, hoping for the best.

Mrs. Johnson took the key and unlocked the padlock to the ballot box. She closed her eyes and grabbed the first ballot that she could touch. When she opened her eyes, she announced the first ballot to the 21 cheerleaders present.

"The first ballot that I hold in my hands is from Sharpay Evans and she voted for: Kim Possible. That's one vote for Kim, none for Camille"

_Yes, one down, nine to go. _Kim said to herself, knowing that captain position was within her reach. Bonnie still held her hand tight.

Camille gave a slight scoff, but nothing more came from her mouth.

Mrs. Johnson then closed her brown eyes and pulled off the second ballot. She then announced it to the crowd. "The second ballot that I have is from Carmelita Spats and she voted for: Camille Leon. That is one vote for Kim, and one vote for Camille."

Camille gave an evil smirk, knowing that nine votes away would put her in the foremost position of the school's food chain.

The head coach then took out the next ballot and announced it through the microphone, "The third ballot that I possess is from London Tipton and she voted for: Camille Leon. It is now two votes for Camille and one vote for Kim.

_Damn, _Kim thought to herself, _I knew that London idiot would vote for Camille._

Mrs. Johnson pulled out the next ballot. "The fourth ballot from Caitlin Cooke goes to Kim Possible. Both candidates now have two votes apiece."

_Take that, Camille _Caitlin kept on thinking to herself _That's for the Sunday Night Swirlies. _

The fifth ballot was read.

"And the fifth ballot by Bebe Stevens goes to," Mrs. Johnson built up the suspense, then raised her voice slightly, "Kim Possible!! It's now 3 votes for Kim compared to 2 for Camille!"

_All right, _Kim thought, _seven more and I have the chance to rebuild the Mad Dogs cheer squad._

"The sixth ballot from Sandi Griffin goes to Camille Leon." the cheerleading coach decreed before the cheerleaders, "Both Kim and Camille have 3 votes apiece."

_It's all tied up! _Camille thought with that notable grin on her face _but wait until the Jonas Brothers tickets ploy kicks in. Heh! That will swing the election to my favor!_

Mrs. Johnson pulled out Crystal's ballot "The seventh ballot from Crystal Appleton goes to ..."

_Yes! A Fringe cheerleader! She fell for the Jonas Brothers tickets! Her vote is, so like, mine now! I'm, so like, in the lead! _Camille thought to herself as she prepared to jump for joy to take the lead. But the result took her by surprise.

"Kim Possible!!" the head coach exclaimed the end of her sentence. "It's now 4 votes for Kim and 3 votes for Camille.

_Shit!! _Camille's mood turned into anger for a brief moment before resuming her happy and confident mood. _Well, it's just one little roadblock. It's not going to prevent me from becoming captain of this silly squad so that I can get my juicy hands on Ron Stoppable._

The next ballot came from that of Brittany Taylor. Of all the 22 current cheerleaders on the Mad Dogs' roster, Brittany was the most weak-willed of them. She was only a sophomore and a devout fan of the Jonas Brothers and apparently did not know of the divisions that were going on within the squad. So, her choice wasn't much of a surprise.

Mrs. Johnson called out Brittany's vote. "And Brittany Taylor's choice for captain is: Camille Leon!! We are now tied again at 4 votes each." Then, she drew the next ballot.

Bonnie whispered to herself. _Please pick mine! Please pick mine! Pleeease pick mine!!_

Finally, Mrs. Johnson drew Bonnie's ballot. "Bonnie Rockwaller's choice for captain is: Kim Possible!" she exclaimed. Kim now had 5 votes to Camille's 4. This opened up the hole to bring down Camille's first phase of her plan.

Then she proceeded to draw the ballots of Jessica Tannen and and Hope Matthews. Camille, with silent pleading, wanted them to vote for her because she bought them Jonas Brothers tickets and were under the complete assumption that they were their biggest fans. Unfortunately for her, Jessica prefered 70s and 80s bands and Hope's favorite artist was Elton John. So these two cheerleaders, knowing of Camille's treachery, went with their hearts and voted for Kim to be their new captain. Kim now had 7 votes to Camille's 4.

Camille was stunned that the red-haired cheerleader was in front of her by three votes. All she could do was just witness the first phase of her plan collapse in front of her. She needed some saving grace.

Luckily for Camille, that saving grace came in the form of Kaitlin Saunders, a new freshman Mad Dog cheerleader who was, like Brittany, a huge fan of the Jonas Brothers. Also like Brittany, Kaitlin was unaware of the brewing conflict between Camille and Kim. So she picked her vote for Camille. It was now Kim: 7, Camille: 5.

_Darn, three more votes and I'll be able to save the squad from Camille and her cronies. _Kim was now beginning to sweat profoundly and held Bonnie hand even tighter than before. The suspense was mounting.

The decisive blow came from an unexpected former Fringe cheerleader, Lisa Silver. She had been there on Kim's side when she recorded the disturbing footage of Veruca licking Kim's tears several days ago on her video camera. She also gave those words of comfort to Kim when she was at her breaking point.

Lisa's ballot was called out by Mrs. Johnson. "And the 13th ballot of the elections from Lisa Silver. Lisa chooses Kim Possible to be the next captain. The tally now stands with Kim having 8 votes and Camille having 5."

Thirteen proved to be a lucky and unlucky number. For Kim, 13 was a lucky number for her. All she needed were two votes and the cheering captain position was hers. That same number also proved to be an unlucky one for Camille. Her candidacy for the captainship suffered from the heavy blow of Lisa's nomination. She can't believe her eyes that her chance of avenging Veruca's incarceration was slipping away with every single passing ballot.

Mrs. Johnson then read the crucial fourteenth ballot from Liz Barker, the other redhead on the team and another of the Fringe cheerleaders. Camille antcipated that she must've only loved the Jonas Brothers' music. But Liz loved a whole variety of musicians, including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The real musical bands, to her, were Christian rock groups that are underappreciated by the mainstream. She doesn't like the pop music standards of today. So, like most of the Fringe, she looked deep down into her heart and voted for a true leader who would not be guided by false morals. "And the 14th vote from the ballot box by Liz Barker goes to Kim Possible!!"

Kim dropped her jaw wide open. _One more vote and my dream will come true. _She repeated this sentence over and over again as she held Bonnie's hand as tight as she could.

Camille rubbed her face with her hand in disbelief. _I cannot believe this is, so like, happening to me! I came so close to avenging Veruca, I could've, like, felt it, _she thought to herself as her plan was on its last support beam of collapse.

The 15th ballot choice forever haunted the cat food deb for the rest of her life.

Mrs. Johnson closed her eyes and reached her hand into the metallic box. Momentaily, all she heard was the ruffling of paper before she finally opened her eyes. The ballot read Tara's name on it, and the only other thing that she wrote was her choice for the cheer captain.

After reading it momentarily, the head coach stepped forward to the podium. Camille stuttered "Oh, no! Oh, no!! Oh, please, noooo!!!!"

Kim's other hand now squeezed Caitlin's hand as the 15th ballot was announced.

Mrs. Johnson coughed momentarily before speaking into the microphone. "And the 15th ballot that I hold in my hand is from Tara Queen. Tara's choice for the captain position is......"

A silence of 10 seconds was obseved as Kim closed her eyes, preparing for the best. Camille prepared for the worst.

".... KIM POSSIBLE!!"

Kim instantly opened up her eyes. She was in complete shock. After four years of struggle and hardship, after four years of denial, she had finally achieved her dream of glory: being the captain of the Middleton Mad Dog cheer squad. It felt like that she was about to faint. She was now finally on top on the Middleton High food chain along with her sidekick, Ron as the star football captain.

She gave out a long and loud "YYYEEEEESSSS!!!!" and danced up and down with Bonnie and then Caitlin. She then gave Ron's favorite catchphrase "Boo-yah!!!" by raising her fist and jumping up for joy and jubilation. The Mad Dog squad, with the obvious exceptions of Camille, London, Sandi, and Carm, gave out their wild cheers and applause for Kim as their new cheer captain. Bebe shook her hand in congradulations.

"NNNNOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Camille yelled as she instantly collapsed into crying. "THIS CAN'T BE, SO LIKE, HAPPENING TO MEEE!!!"

Mrs. Johnson went through the last four votes. Marcella Hernandez, Maddie Fitzpatrick, and Bailey Pickett all voted for Kim. Only Lilly Truscott voted for Camille.

"The final tally of this election is Kim with 13 votes and Camille with 6. Kimberly, you may now approach the podium."

Kim's state of happiness and jubilant glee stayed on her face. Her grip on Bonnie and Caitlin's hands loosened. The red-haired beauty stood up and went to the top of the platform for the swearing-in ceremony.

Kim took a knee on the stage while Mrs. Johnson took out the Middleton Spirit Stick. Mrs. Newman and Mrs. Jackson stood up and approached to either side of Mrs. Johnson. The official method of swearing in the new cheering captain has begun.

"Congradulations, Kimberly, of all your hard work and your determination. Now, are you prepared for the swearing-in ceremony?" Mrs. Johnson asked as she approached a kneeling Kim. '

"Yes, yes I am!" Kim exclaimed with a smile across her face. She was more than ready to usher in a new era of leadership.

"Do you also promise to uphold the laws and regulations of the Cheerleading Code?" Mrs. Johnson questioned Kim.

"Yes, I vow to uphold the Code!" Kim answered, still in her excited mood.

"By the power that is invested in me as the Head Cheering Coach of the Middleton Mad Dog Squad, I now prononce Kimberly Ann Possible as the new Captain of the Middleton Mad Dog cheer squad" Mrs. Johnson decreed as she tapped the Spirit Stick lightly on Kim's left and right shoulder blades.

As she finished up the ceremony, a bright sun suddenly broke through the Tuesday cloudy day. Blue skies were now becoming a more common sightt. The setting outside was the perfect end to Kim's four-year turbuent storm underneath the oppressive iron fist of Veruca and her gang.

The red-gold-purple "C" patch was ready. Kim embraced the patch. This is what she had been fighting for and now, it was hers. This time, though, she vowed not to abuse her power like her vile predecessor did.

Camille, meanwhile, was still in a train wreck mode. She was crying like there was no stopping her. London tried her best to calm down Veruca's former right-hand woman, but it wasn't enough. She then began to go into a royal tantrum mode, pounding her fists on the metal chair. Her sobbing tears touched the metal chair, but other than Camille's friends on the squad, no one seemed to care or bother about her. They were all busy celebrating Kim's induction as the new captain.

Mrs. Johnson then reminded Kim of a long-standing Mad Dog tradition after emergency cheer elections, "As the new Mad Dog cheering captain, Kimberly, you can get to choose your two co-captains.

Kim quickly scanned the other cheerleaders and pointed in the direction of Bonnie. She made her very first action as the new captain, "I move that Bonnie Rockwaller will be my first co-captain." Bonnie was ecstatic over then. She shrieked briefly and did her usual victory pose. Of all the things that Kim has done in the past for Bonnie, this was the greatest gift given to her by her longtime friend and companion. The tan-skinned cheerleader excitely went to the top of the podium to join Kim on her left side."

London dropped her jaw. This was the very position that she held underneath Veruca's old system. Now, Bonnie was going to fill in that void. It felt like a dagger being driven through her heart. She was now going to be a regular cheerleader.

Mrs. Johnson added in, "You have your second co-captain to choose." The second co-captain was the former positon that Camille had held underneath Veruca's old regime. That position meant everything to her. Now, with Kim in charge, Camille's influence on the team was threatened.

Making a silent vow to herself through her tantrum, she vowed the following: _I swear, like, revenge for whoever takes my co-captain spot._

It didn't take Camille long at all to overhear Kim's decision.

"I move that Tara Queen shall be made the second co-captain on the team." Kim announced clearly to all in the crowd, including Camille. Tara jumped for joy with her long, platinum blonde hair moving in a wavy motion.

At that moment when the announcement was made, Camille let out a scream so loud that the cheering and celebrations stopped for a moment. The cat food deb's world was collapsing, first her chance to become the captain just so that she could have and abuse Ron any way she wanted to, and now her former position was being given to the same girl who made the tenth and final vote to elect Kim captain: Tara Queen. Not wanting to be a part of this anymore, she stormed out of the gym with her tears now staining the floor and trailing behind her. Through her crying rage, she opened the double doors that led outside and then slammed the double-doors so hard that it made the metal chairs shake a little bit.

Carm, Sandi, and a demoralized London left along with her as well.

As soon as the double-doors closed on the rest of Camille's gang, Bonnie asked Kim her very first question as the new co-captain, "So, what's next, Kim, the new cheering captain on the team?"

Kim quickly answered Bonnie's question "Well, since we had a long day, and that business has been tended to, let's adjourn this meeting."

She then looked at her cell phone. It was now 3:00. The remaining 16 cheerleaders decided to leave for the day. Mrs. Johnson and the other two assistant coaches agreed.

The new head cheerleading captain left with Bonnie, Tara, Caitlin, and Sharpay. The very same group that saved Kim's life four years earlier now shared a stonger bond of friendship with each other.

Kim propped open the gym doors. She finally stepped into the 51-degree clear fall day. She took in that late-fall cool breeze. The combination of the cool breeze, clear skies, and the bright sunlight made her red hair feel like that a certain fire within her had be reignited.

Kim Possible was now a different cheerleader than 18 hours earlier. Eighteen hours earlier, she was a broken-down cheerleader underneath that support beam of the press box. Now, she stood as the number one cheerleader in all of Middleton High.

"So, Kim, how does it feel to be the new captain and on top of the food chain?" Bebe asked her new superior.

"Well, being the cheer captain is so not the drama." Kim responded with a laugh. Then she suggested a place to celebrate this occassion, "So why don't we celebrate this special event over at, say, Bueno Nacho?"

"Yes!!" Caitlin exclaimed, "Bueno Nacho sounds like a complete winner to me."

"Who wants nacoes?" Tara asked as she walked towards Sharpay's car.

Sharpay unlocked the doors to her vehicle. All five cheerleaders piled in.

Kim, sitting in the backseat, pulled out her Kimmunicator. It's been a week since Wade Load, the boy genius and brains behind Team Possible, had brief her on any missions.

"Hey Wade, guess what?" Kim asked through her Kimmunicator. The KP logo transformed into a computerized image of Wade before her eyes.

"Hey, Kim, what's up?" Wade waved hello to Kim as he sipped on his cola.

"I am now the Middleton High Cheer Captain!!" Kim gave an excited shrill across her face. She showed him the "C" patch, signifying the captain status.

Wade, not wanting to mess with his complex computer system, disappeared from the Kimmunicator screen. Kim heard a spit of cola from the bathroom, follow by the running of water from the bathroom sink. Wade then reappeared at his usual position.

"That's pretty good. What about Ron? Still gaining those rushing yards, huh?" Wade remarked. He still had a couple of cola stains on his lips.

"Yep, he's the new football captain even as we speak!" Kim smiled again at Wade through the Kimmunicator. Wade rubbed his eyes. He could not believe what he was hearing and seeing. His two favorite friends have now occupied the very top of the food chain.

"That's great news, Kim. It's been unusually quiet lately. I'll keep an eye on things." Wade said as he resumed his fingers to typing. The Kimmunicator screen immediately cut back to the KP logo.

Kim then put her Kimmunicator away and pulled out her cell phone. She flipped through her phone book in her cell and saw Ron's number. She pressed the Send function of her phone. After five rings, all she got though, was Ron's voice mail. _Sorry, this is Ron Stoppable, home of the Number 7 star running back for the Middleton Mad Dogs. I am either at football practice or at Bueno Nacho, diving into the Grande Nacos with Rufus. So if I'm not there, please take a message and I'll reach you as soon as I can. Boo-yah. _

Kim left her message: "Ron, if you are done with football practice, come on over to Bueno Nacho. I have a surprise to tell you. Can you bring Rufus along? I'll see ya then. Thanks. Bye." She then hung up her cell and put it back in her handbag.

She hoped that Ron got the message, telling him of this wonderous news.


	53. Two New Captains Meet

Time: 3:15pm

Place: Stoppable household

Ron was still asleep on his bed. He had been snoring for the last two hours. Rufus, his trusty naked mole rat, was snoring by him.

Rufus heard the cell phone on Ron's nightstand. He carried the still-vibrating phone over to Ron's ear.

"Ron, phone." Rufus said to a snoring Ron in his ear.

Ron slowly opened up his eyes and rubbed them. He had been asleep for the last couple of hours ever since Barkin's announcement of him as the new football captain.

"What is it, Rufus," he said as he stretched his body. Rufus pointed out that he had one new voice mail message on his phone. Ron had changed from his football jersey to his normal clothes of a striped shirt and long khaki pants. He was wearing socks.

Rufus gave the cell phone to his longtime master and Ron clicked on the voice mail. He instantly recognized the voice of Kim, telling him to come on over to Bueno Nacho for a special suprise and to bring Rufus along with him as well. So, Ron went downstairs where Mr. David Stoppable, his dad, greeted him.

"Hey, Ronald, where are you going?" Mr. Stoppable asked his son.

"I'm going on over to Bueno Nacho with Kim. She gave me a message on her voice-mail" Ron gave a quick response to his father. He then asked back "Think she'll be surprised by newfound captain status, Dad?"

"I'm sure Kim will be surprised!" Mr. Stoppable said with a laugh. He then grabbed his car keys and headed out to the driveway with Ron and Rufus, for the Stoppable garbage was a complete mess.

Mr. Stoppable unlocked the car and both father and son and his pet six-year old naked mole rat got into the vehicle. He was going to drop off Ron and Rufus over at Bueno Nacho.

Fifteen minutes later, he saw the familiar image of his favorite red-haired cheerleader with the usual group. Kim and the girls immediately waved to him and Ron waved back. He walked into the restaurant and went to the counter. Rufus popped out of Ron's pants pocket. Mr. Stoppable drove off in the distance.

_Ah, yes. Bueno Nacho has had some good memories for me _Ron thought. He remembered to the time that he once worked here and was almost promoted to assistant manager before sacrificing that position in order to save Kim from Drakken's evil clutches.

Ned, Ron's longtime friend and the general manager of the Bueno Nacho, greeted Ron at the counter.

"Hi, Ron, what would it be? The usual?" Ned asked him, ready to take the usual two orders for both Ron and Rufus.

"Yep, the usual, my good man, Ned! Two Grande-sized Nacos, please, with extra Diablo sauce!" Ron said. He then paid his usual $8 for the two orders.

"Ooooh, Grande," Rufus smacked his lips together. He craved the Nacos, the primary specialty of Bueno Nacho.

Kim stood up and hugged Ron. It was the first time that the two have seen each other since their time underneath the press box at the end of Game 2.

"Sorry I was unable to see you early this morning." Kim said as she apologized to Ron. "Our trip was extended by two hours and then we got trapped underneath the heavy weather. Then, we had the usual cheerleading business to take care of."

"I understand," Ron responded, knowing how much Kim went through. It was far more than all those times when they were trapped and nearly separated by Drakken.

Kim was careful to hide the "C" patch from Ron in her handbag, so that the surprise would be kept safe.

He sat down next to Kim in the booth as the two drew physically closer to each other. Kim put her handbag underneath the booth. She was eating her nacho salad when Ron made his big announcement of being the new football captain.

"Well, ladies, you're now looking at the new football captain," Ron said, pointing his fingers at himself. Rufus dove into his Grande supreme special.

"We already know, Ron. I got the text message an hour earlier." Kim responded as she moved closer to Ron. "That's good news anyways." Then she popped in the question, "How did you get the captain position anyways?"

"Well, good question, KP, and here's my answer. You know Eugene, our star linebacker who went down in Game 2?" he asked to the girls.

All five girls nodded their heads. They knew how Eugene was very important to the team.

"Well, a couple of hours ago, I talked with Coach Barkin today and he noted my successes as the running back this year. He then drew upon my qualities as a good sportsman, as a source of inspiration to the team both on and off the field. Barkin then brought in my experiences as the Mad Dog mascot to help pump up the football team. So, here I am, KP, on top of the Middleton High food chain at last! Boo-yah!!" Ron recalled the important points of that conversation.

The five cheerleaders drew a round of applause at Ron's latest accomplishment in his young football career, none louder than Kim.

Kim, still in her purple cheer uniform, nudged her head next to Ron's. "Ron, I'm so proud of you. You have come this far to where you are right now."

"Aw, shucks, KP! It was nothing!" Ron blushed as he started consuming his order of the Grande Nacoes. Rufus already finished his and gave a small burp. Bonnie, Sharpay, Caitlin, and Tara laughed at Rufus' latest antic.

"And, I have a surprise for you as well." Kim said with a long smile across her face. She pulled out her handbag and reached for her new captain patch.

"Guess who became the new cheerleading captain today?" the red-headed cheerleader asked the question as she finally pulled the rabbit out of the hat: the captain patch.

As Ron took his very first gaze upon that captain patch, all he could do was to drop his jaw.

"You're the- You're the-- You're the-???" Ron stuttered with his words.

Bonnie finished his sentence as she continued to eat her medium-sized order of Nacos, "Yep, Kim here is the new captain of the cheerleading team. That's what the surprise was all about."

Ron gave a cry of joy that was so loud that everyone in the restaurant stopped what they were doing. He then announced, loud and clear, to the tight-knit Middleton suburb community. "Hey, everybody, KP is now the new captain of the Mad Dog cheer squad!!"

The entire audience in the restaurant gave a loud round of applause and cheers and shouts of "KP, KP, KP". Even Ned was getting in on the act.

The sole Bueno Nacho in the Magnolia State in the suburb of Middleton within Hattiesburg now had the Mad Dogs' football captain and cheerleading captain underneath one roof.

Ron then shouted out to Ned for the "special occassion" that he had been saving for a long time. "Hey Ned, can you give us two Supreme Naco order combos ..... on-the-house."

Ned was more than ready for this. He was going to give his two most favorite customers the special orders of Supreme Nacos. They were immediately made and delivered to the two new captains.

Bonnie, Tara, Sharpay and Caitlin looked on as the two orders of Supreme Nacos were placed in front of both Kim and Ron.

"Uh, Kim, Ron, are ya going to eat all that?" Caitlin asked the two captains. The Supreme Nacos orders were quite large.

"Caitlin, we've been at Bueno Nacho since it opened in the first grade." Kim explained to Caitlin the long-time bond she and Ron had with Bueno Nacho, "We have been its best customers since then. We've handled limited-time combos bigger than this."

"OK, whatever you say, Kim," Caitlin said as she continued to finish up her order of Nacos.

Kim and Ron took one look at the two huge orders of Nacoes. Usually, the two would just simply eat them separately. But today was quite different.

"Say, Ron," Kim said as she thought of a new idea. "Why don't I feed you one of my Nacos and you can feed me of your Nacos? You know, just as a symbol of our long-time friendship and to celebrate the fact that we are captains of both the cheerleading and the football teams."

"That's a great idea, KP!!" Ron agreed to this. This idea was something very new to both Kim and Ron. "Why don't you go first?" he then suggested to Kim.

"Sure thing, Ron," Kim agreed as she took out the first Naco that she saw from the basket. She slid across the booth and fed Ron her first Naco. The Naco disappeared in his mouth.

"Yeah! That tasted good!!" was Ron's reaction to tasting the sweet cheesy Naco. "Now it's my turn, KP."

Ron then took his first Naco as he, too, slid across the booth. He fed her the Naco and it instantly disappeared in her mouth as well.

"Oh, yeah! Nacos always taste good in my mouth! My move now." Kim then took a Naco that was on the verge of breaking. It was a plain Naco without any condiments on it. As she lifed the Naco halfway to Ron, the plain Naco, which was suffering underneath a little crack, fell off.

"AAHHH! The Naco!!" Both Kim and Ron exclaimed as it fell to the seat of the booth. Kim and Ron both extended their hands to reach for the Naco.

Instead, their hands felt each other's skin instead of the tortilla shell of the Naco. Both captains were holding their hands together for a moment, then retreated their hands.

"Wow, KP!" Ron exclaimed after realizing that their display of affection was no ordinary gesture of friendship "I felt a strange feeling, one I've never felt before!"

"I feel it too, Ron," Kim said as she nervously looked at her Nacos. Then she dared to pop the question "Ron, does this mean that we are .... ?"

"Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Ron interrupted as even he, a master of the Naco, didn't want any more of his Nacos Supreme. "Of course not, KP, although we have been getting more and more attached to each other lately, physically and emotionally."

"Yeah, I think you're right. I'm not sure if we are ready to take our relationship to our next level." Kim said, although she knew, deep inside her heart, that a relationship between the two was going to exist sometime soon. She just didn't know the question of when.

While the banter between the two captains was occurring, Bonnie simply imagined her long-time friend in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with Ron Stoppable, one of the best tailbacks that the state of Mississippi had ever seen. Of couse, she also had to think about the failed BF/GF relationship that she tried with Josh.

Caitlin, Sharpay, and Tara were thinking the same thing as well, the imagining of Kim and Ron being together as boyfriend and girlfriend, and the time in which their relationships, save for Sharpay and Eugene, failed to materialize.

Ron and Kim both ordered the rest of their Supreme Nacos in a to-go box. Then, Kim suggested to Ron, "Uh, I think we should surprise both our parents with our captain positions. Why don't you call up your parents and I'll call up mine? They can come on over here to your house and we can make our stunning announcements over there."

"That's a great idea, KP. I'm on it!" Ron exclaimed as he went out the doors to call up his parents to meet over at the Possible household.

Kim then called up her parents on her cell. The phone rang several times before her dad got a hold on the line:

_K: Hey, Dad!_

_J: Kimmie-cub, how are ya doing? Is practice over already?_

K: Yeah, Dad. Practice ended an hour early. We're over at Bueno Nacho. Sharpay is going to drive us on over to your house.

_J: Sure thing, Kimmie-cub._

_K: Oh, and Dad, expect a doorbell ring from the front door. It's going to be the Stoppables._

She heard the doorbell ring in the background and the sound of the Stoppable parents' voices as well.

_J: Kimmie-cub, why are you doing this? Are you getting into trouble?_

K: No, Dad. Both me and Ron have two surprises to show you. We'll both tell you at the house.

_J: Ok, whew, Kimmie-cub, you had me there for a sec. (laughs) I thought you got in big trouble or something like that. _

_K: Oh, Dad, you're still funny. I love you anyways._

_J: I love you too, Kimmie-cub. I hope to see you in 15 and I can't wait to see what surprises you have in store for the Possible and Stoppable families._

_K: OK, see ya, Dad! Bye!_

_J: Bye!!_

She hung up and put her cell phone back in her handbag as she exited the doors to the restaurant where Ron was waiting for her.

Ned waved goodbye to Kim and Ron as he continued to clean the windows in order to . Sharpay got Bonnie, Kim, Ron, Caitlin, and Tara together. They all squeezed to fit into her car as they drove off.

Kim and Ron, sitting next to each other in the back seat, looked out into the window at the setting sun. They finally arrived at the Possible household, just in time for the 5:00 rush hour.

Sharpay, Bonnie, Tara, and Caitlin waved them goodbye as they drove off from the driveway.

It was now time for the two captains to spring the surprise on the Possible and Stoppable households.


	54. The Deb's New Scapegoat

**I used Mr. Henry Salt and Mrs. Angina Salt as the primary names of Veruca's parents from the 1971 movie. I don't own the rights to them.**

Time: 4:30 pm

Location: Leon Mansion

Camille was on the top of her bed. Hot tears were streaming down her face. She was still crying from the events that had unfolded before her eyes within the last two hours. First, her ploy with the Jonas Brothers tickets didn't work. Then, she lost the captain position by seven votes to Kim, thereby ending her chances of "dating" Ron. On top of that, her newfound enemy, Tara Queen, wrote in the tenth and deciding vote that doomed her candidacy and acquired her second co-captain position, the very same postition that she held so dear to for the last four years under Veruca's old regime. Now, she has been downgraded to just an spoiled regular cheerleader who had few friends and little influence in the food chain. Through her tears, she hated Kim but the true fires of hatred turned all of her attention upon Tara.

No butler or maidservant could cheer up Camille. Not even her pet cat, Debutante, whose fur wrapped around Camille's sore feet. It was no use. Her tears just kept on going.

She continued to wail and lament over her failed plans. "WHYY!!! WHY DID IT HAPPEN TO ME!!! I WANTED THAT CAPTAIN POSITION MORE THAN ANYTHING, AND NOW, IT'S GOOONNNEEE!!!! WWWAAAHHH!!!! I'VE FAILED YOU, VERUCA!!!!!!"

As if her sitch with the failed plans of getting the captain position wasn't bad enough, her trusted butler, Jeebs, came knocking on the door to Camille.

Camille, having screamed and stained her pillow with two hours' worth of her tears, turned her face around. It too was stained with a solution of mascara and tears.

"What do you want, Jeebs?" was her tearful reaction to the long-time butler of the Leons.

"You must come downstairs, Mademoselle Leon. We have some more unfortunate news to give you." Jeebs gave a smug announcement to her.

"Jeebs, I am, like, in no mood for more bad news!" Camille exclaimed. Her tears were still present as Debutate went back into her elegant cathouse.

"It's a direct order from your mother. She wants you down here as of this moment." Jeebs demanded as an angry tone was now in him.

"GRRRRR!!! I'll be right down!" Camille reluctanly barked back at Jeeves. As she walked down the elegant staircase, she thought to herself, _Shit, now that skinny fart of a mom wants me too? Grr. It's like everyone wants a piece of Camille Leon. Well, we'll see about that. _Her tears were held back for a few moments.

"Camille, we need to talk. It's about your friend's family, the Salts," Mrs. Leon said in a disheartening mood.

"Oh, no!! What happened to Veruca ?!?!" Camille was now in complete shock that something bad had happened to her longtime deb friend of 13 years.

"No, Veruca's fine, although she's still incarcerated." Mr. Leon merely chuckled for a brief moment before turning his face into a more serious look, "But, on a more serious note, we bring bad news about the Salt family in general. Because of the ongoing legal battles with Veruca, the obscene amount of money that she devoted to shopping prior to her imprisonment, the growing debt that they are facing, and the current economical storm, Mr. Henry Salt had to close down his Salt Peanut Factory in both Hattiesburg and Laurel. He had to lay off all 3000 of his workers."

The news about Veruca and her family kept on getting worse for Camille. She was like "family" to them.

Mr. Leon continued "The latest call that I got from Mr. Salt, around 20 minutes ago, was that the Salt family had now officialy filed for ... bankruptcy!!"

The words of "bankruptcy" boomed into Camille's ears. This was the one word that she did not want to hear in her dictionary, unless it was a rival cat food producer going out of business. But this meaning of bankruptcy was completly different to Camille, for it invoved her primary friend.

"NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!! MY FRIEND CAN'T GO BANKRUPT!!!! HER FAMILY IS, SO LIKE, RICHER THAN OURS!!!! HOW COULD VERUCA GO BANKRUPT?!?!?!" Camille screamed as the tears started to return.

The answer laid in front of her as she turned her head to the right to the open-air window facing the front yard of the former Salt mansion. On the carefully manicured green lawn was a sole foreclosure sign. This was all the proof that the world needed that there was no hope of escape for Veruca from prison. Camille collapsed to the floor as her tears now fell to the recently-dried Persian rug.

To add even further humiliation to her already-battered life, Mrs. Leon stated the following, "Because of the financial concerns with the Salt family, the current economic status, and your lavish expenditures, both your father and I have decided to cut back on excessive luxuries. So from now on, there will be no more lavish shopping trips from you, Camille, until this economic weather has past us."

Camille, now deprived of the one thing that she truly held dear to her, began to throw a royal tantrum the likes of which the Leon parents have never seen from their spoiled daughter."

"WWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!?! WWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!! SHOPPING IS, LIKE, MY LIFE!!!!! IF I DON'T HAVE IT, I'LL WITHER AAAAANNNNNDDDD DDDDDDDIIIIEEEE!!!!!!!! WWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Camille kicked and screamed on the floor. Normally, her tantrums would pass by her parents. This time, though, they came down very hard on her.

"Whether you'll like it or not, Camille, there are other things besides shopping that you can use to occupy your time." Mr. Leon said as he walked across the den to the room where Camille meditated on a daily basis. "How about, say, meditation to get rid of some of that stress?"

The cat food deb, still underneath the influence of her tantrum, began to curse out the very parents that bore her in her arms, "NOOOO!!! I WON'T DO ANY DAMN MEDITATIONS!!! I WISH YOU HAVE NOT, LIKE, BEEN BORN AT ALL!!!!!!!! YOU FAT PIECE OF SHIT!!!!! YOU TOOK AWAY THE ONE THING THAT MEANT, LIKE, SO MUCH TO MMMMMEEEEEE!!! WWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!! DADDY, YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAT A LAZY SON OF A BITCH WHO LIKES TO SIT ON HIS FAT ASS ALL DAY LONG!!!!! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE ECONOMY!!!!! I DON'T EVEN GIVE A RABBIT SHIT ABOUT THOSE STUPID ASININE WORKERS!!!!!! WHY DON'T YOU GET ON THE GROUND, EAT A HUGE PILE OF YOUR OWN SHIT AND DIE!!!!! WWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

It was clear that Veruca's influence clearly leeched on Camille's mind, thereby blocking out her parents' demands.

Mrs. Leon, shocked for the first time by the language that her daughter uttered, demanded in an angry mood. "You will respect your elders around the Leon household!! This means no more of your potty mouth tirades against either me or your father!! Now, apologize to your father before I get really angry with you!!"

Not even Mrs. Leon was immune from Camille's rampage of profanities. The deb yelled back at her mother through her tears, "YOU FAT BITCH!! ALL YOU EVER DO IS EAT, EAT, EAT!!!! LIKE, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY!!!! I CAN DO WHATERVER I WANT AND I'M NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE TO THAT LAZY BASTARD OF A FATHER!! I HOPE YOU GET A HEART ATTACK AND DIE!!"

Camille then did the most defiant act against her mother. She then folded out the front of her hand and gave a powerful, full-swing slap to her mom's face, in full view of Mr. Leon.

Mr. Leon, witnessing the event of his daughter bitch-slapping his wife, came down with the harshest punishment ever handed to Camille. He was clearly in a raging mood. "Camille Whitney Leon, for this defiant act of slapping your mother across your face and your profane-laiden tirades against us, I have decided to cut you from the Leon inheritance without a single penny!!! You're going to have to earn your money .... the hard-way: by working at Bueno Nacho!!!!"

"WHAATT?!?!?!?!" Camille was caught by surprise at the harsh punishment handed down by her father. "I DON'T WANNA BE, LIKE, CUT OFF FROM MY INHERITANCE!!!! I DON'T WANT TO WORK AT THAT SMELLY SHITHOLE OF A RESTUARANT!!!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO MEEEEEEE!!!!! WWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

"You will also be grounded for three months, now go to your room!!!" Mr. Leon angrily demanded to his whiny daughter.

Camille stormed out of the den and went back upstairs through her continuous waterworks. She slammed the door to her room so hard that it shook the pictures of the hotel heiress. Then, the deb locked the door so that her parents will not disturb her. The only sounds from her bedroom were Debutante burring, Camille's continuous crying sobs, and the roaring of a fireplace. Her tears of crying suddenly transformed into tears of rage. She stormed through the newspaper clippings of the very beginning of the football season.

Camille then came upon the very picture of Tara Queen, the Mad Dog cheerleader who ruined her life. Tara now became the deb's new scapegoat to blame all her current problems and woes upon.

_That dumb blonde bitch has ruined my life for the last time! She took everything that was so important to me! First my captain position and now my inheritance?!?! GRRRR!!!! Tara is really going to get it this time,_

she talked to herself through her tears. The water from her eyes fell upon the newspaper clipping of Tara's photo.

_Well, I'm going to ruin Tara's life just like she did mine!!! _After she made this thought in her head, Camille tore out the newspaper clipping and, with a swing of her hand, tossed it into the fireplace. All she can do was to watch the very color image of Tara and the newspaper clipping burn right before her eyes.

Behind that thin frail teary-eyed exterior shell of Camille lied a dark and evil soul in herself and it turned its full concentration on revenge against the platinum-blonde cheerleader named Tara Queen.


	55. A Possible Night Out

**I don't own Indiana Jones. It is owned by Paramount Pictures.**

Time: 5:15 pm, Tuesday

Place: Possible residence.

It was a buzz of activity going on at the Possible household.

James was sitting on his favorite recliner, still reading the paper. He was anticipating these two surprises that Kim planned to tell him.

John was playing on the 360 with the Tweebs, beating them in Halo 3 on Multiplayer. The Tweebs were the only football players on the team that haven't heard about the news of Ron being the new football captain.

The Stoppable parents were planning out the seating arrangements for Game 3 tomorrow. They had part of the Mad Dog booster club for the last five years.

Anne was making final preparations for the Possible Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. As she finished calling up James' older brother, Slim, she heard the doorbell ring.

The Tweebs and John stopped what they were doing and assembled in the kitchen.

As Anne opened the door, Kim and Ron came through the entrance.

"Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!" Kim excitedly said.

"Hiya, Mrs! DrP. Hiya Mr. DrP!" Ron called back at the Possible spouses.

"Kimberly, Ronald, what a pleasant surprise!" Anne exclaimed as James got up from his chair. He gave a hug to his favorite Kimmie-cub. He was dying to know the surprise Kim told him over the phone 15 minutes earlier.

"Kimmie-cub, what are these two surprises that you wanted to show me?" James asked. He was anxious to know.

The Stoppable parents heard the door close and faced their only son.

"James, what do you mean by 'two surprises'?" Anne asked in a confused manner.

"Well..." Ron stuttered slightly before turning to Kim "Uhh, KP, why don't you go first?"

"OK, Ron," Kim said as she gave a heavy sign. "Here goes nothing!" She took a deep breath and made the announcement in front of her whole family: "Mom, Dad, I am now the new captain of the Mad Dog cheer squad!!" she exclaimed with glee.

As soon as the word "captain" was uttered from Kim's mouth, James and Anne's jaws dropped for a second. Then, they screamed wildly and embraced their daughter.

"Oh, Kimmie-cub! I'm so proud of you! This is a red-letter day for the Possible family!! How-how did this happen?" James asked, for he was at a loss of words. For the last three years, all he had heard about the cheerleading captain position was totally negative. Now, he gave great praise to that very same position, for his daughter was occupying the top spot on the squad.

"Well, Dad, cheerleading elections were today. I had to face off against Veruca's right-hand woman, Camille for the captain position. The ballots were cast and I won by 13 to 6. So, here I am today: the new cheerleading captain of the Mad Dog cheer squad!" Kim explained what had happened, "After that, me, Ron, and the gang celebrated at Bueno Nacho."

Kim then showed her mom the "C" patch, signifying the captain position. Anne took one look at the patch and cried with joy. "Oh, Kimberly, we knew that after three years of hard work, you finally pulled through for your team!"

Then, it was Ron's turn to announce his surprise. "Mom, Dad, Mr and Mrs. DrP's, I'm now the new captain of the football team!" he exclaimed as Rufus came out of his pocket. He held out a tiny pennant denoting the word "captain" in his hand.

David and Cecillia was in complete shock and they, too, were overcome with joy.

Cecillia could barely contain her tears. "My son, the football captain!! This is like a dream come true!!" She couldn't believe her eyes that she was seeing both the football captain and the cheering captain in the same roof.

The Tweebs and John applauded in the background at the two announcements.

"This calls for a celebration!" James exclaimed, "but since Kim and Ron went to Bueno Nacho, we have decided that we are going to the re-opening of the Beverly Drive-In theater down on 49. It's the first time that the theater's being reopened since Katrina hit us."

"It's a great idea, Dad! I always wanted to go there!" Kim exclaimed. She hadn't been to the very drive-in that James and Anne first met in years. The Possibles also saw the movies that they grew up with over there as well.

"Good idea, !" David exlaimed. Then he asked, "Are we going to take separate cars?"

"Yep," Anne said as she grabbed her keys, "our regular SUV can't fit all nine people. Separate cars is the better option for an occassion such as this."

The Possibles and Ron took the family SUV while the Stoppable parents and John followed behind in the station wagon. The total ride took around 20 minutes.

The Beverly was showing the first two Indiana Jones films on both of its screens. About 200 of its 250 parking places were filled up with cars.

The Possibles chose screen 1 which was showing "Raiders of the Lost Ark" while screen 2 was showing "Temple of Doom" on its HD projectors.

The Tweebs were getting popcorn and sodas from the newly-renovated concession stand.

James turned to his long-time wife of 21 years and asked her, "Anne, remember the time when we we were teenagers and we used to come here all the time?"

"Yeah, James, I do remember them. Now, it's Kim and Ron's turn to treasure those memories." Anne responded as she tilted the rearview mirror to Kim and Ron in the middle seat. Both had their hands on each other's back as the movie continued on.

Kim was still in her purple cheerleading uniform and Ron was now wearing his home number 7 jersey that he got

As the movie reached to the very end, Kim and Ron embraced each other as they were both frightened at the sight of skin degrading. They gazed into each others' eyes and both captains touched their foreheads together. They were about to succumb to the romantical mystique of the Beverly.

"Awww, isn't that sweet James? Young love." Anne said as she looked into the rearview mirror of Kim and Ron preparing to signify their bond of love. James agreed as well. The two were about to take their friendship to the next level when Kim's cell phone rang.

Kim's lips were about halfway towards Ron's when she heard the ring of her phone. She backed away as she reached for her cell phone. It was from Caitlin.

_K: Hey Caitlin, I'm kinda busy here. What's the sitch anways?_

_C: Sorry to disturb you, Kim. But as the new captain, you need to discuss plans for the pep rally tomorrow with us. _

_K: Don't worry, Caitlin! We're now done with the movie. I'll be back at my house in 20 minutes._

C: Ok, Kim. I'm going to call up Bebe, Sharpay, Bonnie, Tara, and Liz. We'll meet ya over at the house, if it's fine with your dad.

Kim then held Caitlin on the phone to ask her father, "Can I bring along Caitlin, Bebe, Sharpay, Bonnie, Tara, and Liz over to the house?"

James wanted to know what was the purpose of this visit, "Does it have to do with cheerleading?"

"Yes, sir," Kim obediently replied to her father.

"OK, I'll allow it." James said to her daugher. "Let me guess, though, it has to do with Game 3 tomorrow, huh?"

Kim nodded her head, then continued her conversation with Caitlin.

_K: My dad approved of it. I'll meet y'all there in 20._

_C: OK, Kim. I'll see ya there!_

The cell then hung up.

"OK! Let's head out!" James exclaimed, then realized that the Tweebs are missing. "Uh, Anne, where's Jim and Tim?"

"They went to get a ride home with the Stoppables. They just texted me that we'll meet them over at the house. They also said that John will be with them." Anne said to James as she took out her cell phone and read Jim's text message.

As the SUV pulled out of the Beverly, Kim and Ron were still holding each others' hands as they both fell asleep peacefully, with their heads rubbing against each other. They still dreamed of that first kiss.

The full moon shone its beams on Team Possible as the stars continued to light up the night sky.


	56. PepRally Planout

Time: 8:30pm

Place: Possible Household

As the two cars approached the driveway and came to a complete stop, the Possibles and Stoppables approached the locked front door and went in. There, Kim awaited Caitlin and the others to come on over to the house.

John immediately tuned on the Tweebs' 360 and played a four-player multiplayer batlle on _Halo 3 _with Ron and the Tweebs when, a few minutes later, a knock came on the door. He put down his 360 controller and opened the door. It was Caitlin and some of the other Mad Dog cheerleaders. They came in with rolls of construction paper to work on the banners for Game 3.

"Hey, John!" Bonnie said as she walked in with a huge roll of construction paper, "where's K?"

"Oh, Kim? Yeah, she's right here, Bonnie." John responded as he went back to the fight against the Tweebs and Ron on Halo 3.

Tara walked in with the cutting supplies, while Liz carried a huge box of markers. Sharpay and Bebe came in after them.

The seven cheerleaders, now in their pajamas, went downstairs to the basement where they began work on the new banners for Game 3 tomorrow. While down there, they were discussing the upcoming pep rally tomorrow.

Kim was all business.

"So, the pep rally will take place outside the stadium, four hours prior to the kickoff. We need to show the Tigers how we play football on our turf!!" Kim exclaimed as she took an active role in preparing the banners, something Veruca hasn't done during her tenure as captain.

All seven of them nodded their heads in agreement.

"We have to make these banners as fierce as we can. B, can you hold me those markers?" Kim commanded as the banners started to take shape. Bonnie handed her the markers.

The girls continued to work hard for the next hour and a half on the banners. The banners had new messages saying: _THIS IS OUR HOUSE, GO MAD DOGS, BEAT S. PANOLA, WE'RE #1, WE (HEART) OUR MAD DOGS, NO ONE SURVIVES THE DAWG POUND, MAD DOGS #1, BEAT THE TIGERS_

It was 10:30 now and that the banners were through, Kim, Bonnie, and Tara all had marker-stained hands but all seven cheerleaders looked at their handiwork. It was all ready for the cool breeze for tomorrow night's game.

As the banners were rolled, Caitlin brought up the issue of what was Kim doing when she called her up.

"Hey, Kim, what were you doing when I called you up?" Caitlin asked as she rolled up the banners.

"Well, Caitlin, I was at the reopening of the Beverly Drive-In over at 49. Me and Ron were watching the very end of 'Raiders' of a gory scene. We got frightened when we gazed in each others' eyes and touched our foreheads as if we were about to kiss. We were about to do just that when Caitlin called."

Bonnie, Tara, and the rest of the cheerleaders gave an open-eye stare at Kim. The cheerleading captain dating the football captain is usually big news around Middleton High.

_I knew this day would come! Kim could have the perfect BF in Ron. Could it be possible that K finally jumped the gun with Ron? _Bonnie thought to herself. Images of the two kissing each other at midfield came back to her head. Tara had those same thoughts as well.

Kim was all in a blush. "This is so awkward! How will I be able to convince Ron that I love him? What will I do?" She was completely in a panic.

Sharpay, the only cheerleader of the seven to have a stable BF/GF relationship, offered a nickel's worth of free advice to Kim.

"Kim, look deep down inside your heart. Ask it what it wants. It would tell you two questions: 'Do you want a BF who wants to just use you to get what he needs?' or 'Do you want a BF who would care for you, who helps to comfort you when a loved one is lost, who would stick through the good times and the bad, and who would want to love you for the rest of your life.' For me, I chose the second part and my relationship with Eugene remains as strong as ever before. Convince Ron that you love him at the very right moment and he'll respond back with the same love. That's how Eugene and I began our BF/GF relationship on that 50-yard line of Middleton High Stadium, and we've been strong ever since. Look deep into his eyes and you can see that Ron Stoppable is the right BF for you."

"Ohh, Sharpay! Thank you!! It's the best advice that you have given me. Thanks to you, I have more than enough confidence to convince that Ron Stoppable is the perfect BF for me. Thank you! Thank you for everything!" Kim hugged the senior blonde cheerleader that had been her friend since junior high. Isolated tears came down from her eyes.

Even Bonnie, Caitlin, and Tara were starting to get the sniffles as well.

At 11:30, she waved her other six cheerleader friends goodbye with the newly finished banners as they left Kim in the basement, alone with her thoughts. This meant only one thing to her: harmonica time.

She took out the harmonica that she hadn't touched since earlier that morning when the storm moved through the gym and started to play, this time in an upbeat mode. As she continued to slide her harmonica through her mouth, she continued to paint the image of her and Ron as boyfriend and girlfriend. She decided to follow Sharpay's advice to wait for the right moment to convince Ron of her love.

Meanwhile, Ron and John had been playing Gears of War 2 for the last three hours. The sound of gunfire radiating from the TV drowned out Kim's BF/GF conversation with Sharpay. As Kim came out of the basement, she was more than ready to go to bed. She gave a long yawn before heading upstairs to the attic that was her bedroom. The Tweebs were already in bed.

"Long day, huh, KP?" Ron asked the sleepy-eyed cheer captain.

"Yeah. I'll see ya in the morning, Ron." Kim responded as she gave out another long yawn. She then approached Ron and gave him a good-night hug.

David and Candice Stoppable took their son and new football captain home.

Then, she turned to John. "John, I'll hopefully see ya at the pep rally. I guess you're gonna go on over to Felix's for the setup of the stats."

"Yeah, Kim. I'll be over at his house all day long. I'll see you at the pep rally as well." John responded to Kim as he gave a good-bye wave to her. John turned off the 360, set up the pillow and put up

She then turned to her parents and gave them good night kisses to each before heading upstairs to her room.

As she drifted off to a deep sleep, she knew that Game 3 was going to be the biggest test of her life. This was the first time that she was leading the Mad Dog cheering squad. The Tigers were coming to Mad Dog territory.

She still dreamed of sharing that first kiss with Ron.


	57. Morning of the Third Game

Setting:6:30 am, Wednesday  
Place: Possible household

As the bright Wednesday sun shone in front of Kim's face, she rubbed her tired eyes. It was the morning of Game 3. She came downstairs to realize that her parents and the Tweebs were still asleep. Only John woke up an hour earlier than her.

"Uggghh," Kim groaned as she rubbed her head, "good morning, John. I need to get ready for the Game 3 pep rally." She opened the fridge to get a yogurt before sitting down at the kitchen table. Her red hair was messed up.

"Kim, the pep rally doesn't start for another 9 hours. You have plenty of time," an alert John said as he ate his cereal.

"John, its not that easy. We have to post signs leading up to Middleton High when South Panola comes into town. Not only that, my entire family is going to be coming here for lunch and then they'll attend the pep rally, plus the game." Kim exclaimed as she finished up her yogurt and put it in the garbage can. "Oh, man, it feels like I had a ton of bricks hitting my head! Today is so going to be the drama!" She then collapsed on the sofa.

About 45 minutes later, the entire Possible clan woke up and ate their usual breakfast. The Tweebs were awake and up to their usual mischief by utilizing their jump-packs to get to the kitchen table.

James just simply sighed as he continued to read the morning paper. He used a simple wagging of his finger to halt the Tweebs' usual ramage of destruction around the house. The Tweebs stopped and ate their servings of cereal like human beings.

After finishing up breakfast, Kim took her shower, got back in her pajamas, and went back up to her room. She caught sight of her purple cheer uniform, now embroided with the captain patch on it. As she put the cheering uniform on, it felt like a new determined and courageous cheerleading Kim has overtaken the old, emotional cheerleadering Kim. She braided back her long red hair with the red-gold-purple ribbon of the Mad Dog. Then, the new captain added in the Mad Dog logo as the temporary painted tatoo on her left and right cheek. Kim finalized her uniform with the white socks and matching shoes.

As she walked downstairs, she twirled her 105-pound frame to show her mom and dad the appearance that she fought to attain for the last three years. Both James and Anne applauded for their daughter.

"Hey, Kimmie-cub, Slim and Jocelyn will be be here at 10:00. So we have to be ready by 9:30. So you're gonna set up the signs with Sharpay and the others?" Anne said to Kim as she continued to finish up her coffee.

Kim nodded her head and then asked, "Yeah, but didn't we see Uncle Slim and Joss over in Batesville in Game 2?"

Anne responded, "We didn't see them. They were on the opposite side of the visitiors bleachers."

"I see," Kim said as she pulled out her cell phone. She called up Tara.

_T: Hey, Kim! What's up? Ready to put these signs up on 49? Sharpay, Bonnie, and I worked on them after you left._

_K: Yep, I'm more than ready. What time will you be here?_

T: Oh, in about 25 minutes. I gotta load up the signs in Bebe's truck. We're gonna post the signs and then meet up at Middleton High. Then, we gotta set up the pep rally stage in the practice field at 1:00. So we got a long schedule ahead of us. 

_K: Ok, Tara. Sounds fine to me. I'll see ya then._

Kim hung up as she awaited Bebe's ride.

Jim and Tim were already ready as they wore their football jerseys with their cargo pants. They would meet up with the rest of the Mad Dog football squad at 2:00 at the practice field.

At 10:00, Slim and Joss Possible walked in through the front door. Slim was wearing his usual cowboy hat while Joss was in a smaller size of Kim's mission clothes.

"Howdy, squirt!" Slim, in his Western accent, explained as he embaced his younger brother, "The bird ready yet?"

James, ashamed that Slim called him that word, responded, "Nope, brother. We haven't put the turkey in the oven yet. Anne's going to do it after the game tonight."

"Right, Slim. Besides, we're all going out to lunch, well, except for Kimberly. She's going to put the signs all over the highway." Anne added in.

"Signs? What signs are ya talkin' about?" Joss asked her most favorite cousin. She was a walking encyclopedia of all the missions that Kim went through.

"The signs that me, Bonnie and the others are going to put all along Highway 49, cousin." Kim said with a laugh. "So how's life back in Montana at the Crooked D?"

"Aw, it's swell. Daddy just cleaned off a virus from Ol' Tornado and I've been keepin' track of your missions, Cousin Kim." Joss responded. She then turned to John. "Who's this fella here?"

"Oh, that's John Harper," Kim explained to Joss, "he's the new statistician who's working alongside Felix Renton to do the stats for the series."

"Pleased to meet ya, John," Joss said as he introduced himself to the moustached statistician. She shook hands with him and then peered over his stats, "So it musta be hard tryin' to keep track of all them numbers?"

"Nope, Joss, it's pretty easy for someone with a complex brain like myself," John said to Joss before turning his attention to James. "Hey, Mr. Possible, can you drop me off at Felix's right now? He called me up an hour earlier to see if we can work on the stats. Me and Felix will return to the game at around 6:00."

"Sure thing, John." James gave his response. He got his keys, kissed Anne, Kim and Joss goodbye, hugged his brother, and left with John to go on over to Felix's.

A few minutes later, Bebe arrived in her truck with the signs. Caitlin, Sharpay and Bonnie were seated in the cab while Liz, Tara, and Lisa sat in the back.

"Well, that's my ride," Kim responded, "I'm gonna have to go. Joss, I'll see ya at the pep rally."

"See ya, Cousin Kim!" Josh called back as Kim opened the kitchen door to a waiting Bebe.

Bebe then drove away with the seven other cheerleaders to help put up the signs.

Tara sat in the back of the truck. The co-cheerleader stared at the signs. Bebe made sure that she put on the top to the back of her truck so that the cheerleaders don't fall off.

Kim got a call from her cell phone. She dug deep into her handbag and realized that the call was from Ron.

_K: Hey, Ron._

_R: Hey, KP. I'm judging my guess by the sound of the 18-wheelers in the background that you're on Highway 49 right now._

_K: Yep, you guessed right. Bebe and the rest of us are putting up signs along the highway._

_R: Just, be careful out there, KP!_

_K: I will, Ron. See ya at the pep rally._

_R: See ya, KP._

As the truck reached the outskirts of town, Bebe took a U-turn to the south-bound lane of 49. She drove to the shoulder where the other seven cheerleaders got out. They also brought out the signs as well. Kim planted the first sign into the ground. It said: MAD DOGS R #1, BEAT THE TIGERS!!!! Bebe took a great amount of responsibility for herself: caring for seven cheerleaders as they planted the signs into the ground. As the cheerleaders continued to plant the signs, Mad Dog fans honked their horns and waved to them. They continued to repeat this process for an hour until they got to Middleton High.

There, they began the next stage to help pump up Mad Dog Nation: the pep rally.


	58. A Rally of Change

Time: 2:30 pm

Place: somewhere near Hattiesburg

As the South Panola football team neared the end of their four-hour sojurn from Batesville, Coach Woods rubbed open his eyes. The first thing that he saw was the MAD DOGS R #1 sign. The signs continued to be immersed into Coach Woods' brain: BEAT THE TIGERS, KICK THE TIGERS BACK TO BATESVILLE.

_I have a bad feeling about this, _he thought to himself.

The Mad Dogs were more than ready to gain revenge for their Game 2 30-point loss. At 2:45, the two charter buses carrying the coaches, managers, and all 79 Tiger players were parked at the south side of the fieldhouse, where the vistors' locker rooms were located.

Coach Woods then heard the distant sound of the Middleton Marching Band drumline beating their drums as the players headed to the locker rooms.

Time: 2:00 pm

Place: Middleton High Stadium

In the 12,000-seat Middleton High Stadium, Kim, Bonnie, and some of the Mad Dog cheerleaders were practicing the new routines that they haven't seen during Veruca's tenure. Kim, unlike the former deb, did not put in the dreaded nine-girl pyraminds into her scheme. Instead, smaller pyramids of five girls will be allowed with Sandi and Carm, the most husky of the Mad Dog cheer squad, at the bottom. She did the majority of the more death-defying cheerleading moves, even the ones that Veruca was unable to do. For the first time, Kim also perfected the Pentatwister, the very same cheerleading stunt that almost killed her. The experiences that she had in dealing with Drakken's evil plans for world domination, plus knowing 16 types of kung-fu gave her the athletic abilities necessary to conquer that feared move.

But she wasn't the only cheerleader having a good time. Bonnie, for the first time, unleashed all those 12 years in ballet practice onto the cheer mat. Unlike the monotonous rhythmic dances that were initiated by Veruca, she allowed her flexible tan-skinned body to perform her own cheerleading stunts to help pump up the noise at Middleton High Stadium. _Man, being the co-captain is great, _she said to herself.

Tara was enjoying her freedom as well as the other co-captain. She performed several handstands and a few cheering moves as well.

Under Kim's command, Libby now experienced the full fledged freedom of being the Mad Dog mascot, spewing banana cream everywhere and making growling noises. Of course, it was a safe distance from the girls.

If there is one thing the Mad Dogs had on their side against the Tigers, it is crowd noise. No one could withstand the noise on 9,000 Mad Dog fans on the home side of the stadium, simultaneously screaming and yelling to help their fellow Mad Dogs to victory. The Mad Dog Cheer Squad and the Mad Dog mascot itself was built upon the concept of noise. This is especially true when they had to face Lowerton in the South Final. When it was fourth down for the Lemurs, and the Mad Dogs were on defense, the cheer squad pumped up the entire crowd, against Veruca's wishes. It resulted in an outburst of noise that was so loud that the Lemur offense couldn't hear the play being called.

Now with Kim occupying the captain position and Bonnie and Tara occupying the co-captain positions, Middleton High Stadium was going to get even louder.

Strangely enough, even London was enjoying her position of being just a regular cheerleader.

Camille was the only Mad Dog cheerleader not satisfied with the new system that Kim put into place, although she hid this feeling from Kim. She epecially disguised her thirst for revenge against Tara by putting on a happy face.

As cheering practice concluded, the 22 girls left the stadium and went to the practice field, where 1,000 faithful Mad Dog fans were anticipating the pep rally.

Time: 3:00 pm

Place: Middleton Football Practice Field

At the practice field, a thousand of the loudest Mad Dog fans attended the outdoor pep rally. This also included Monique and Zita in the crowd.

The Middleton Marching Band was to the left of the field. At exactly 3:00, all 22 Mad Dog cheerleaders came out on the stage and all of them had determined looks on their faces.

The Mad Dog football team also made its way to the practice field. All 87 active players, plus Eugene, Brian, and Greg, whom were in crutches, appeared behind Coach Barkin and his other assistant coaches. The Mad Dog tunnel was inflated and ready to go. Tara unfurled the school flag and Brittany unfurled the smaller Mad Dog flag.

This was not the same Mad Dog squad that cried its way home earlier in Game 2. This was not the same Mad Dog squad with a bland version of the Mad Dog. Nope, the new look of the Mad Dogs underneath the command of Kim Possible started to be noticed immediately by the crowd when they heard the familiar growling sounds of the Mad Dog and the banana foam being uttered from the mouth. Libby, a sophomore, enjoyed the wild reception of the revived Mad Dog initiated by Kim and not the bland version that was introduced by Veruca last year.

One by one, the Mad Dog football team players made their way out the tunnel with the band playing the traditional Mad Dog fight song. The players made their way to the right side of the practice field. As the familiar home purple jersey of number 7 came out of the tunnel, Kim blew an air kiss at Ron and he did the same to her, signifying that their friendship was evolving.

As the fight song finished up, all the players were assembled on the right side of the field.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders began their turn to shine:

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N_

_Let's go, let's fight, let's win_

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N_

_Let's go, let's fight, let's win_

Then Libby, as the new Mad Dog, pumped up the crowd with a few more growling noises before the cheerleaders resumed their act. Kim led the way.

_Here we go, Mad Dogs!! Here we go!!_

_Here we go, Mad Dogs!! Here we go!!_

_If your love our Mad Dogs, clap your hands (all 1000 pairs of hands clap)_

_If your love our Mad Dogs, clap your hands (all 1000 pairs of hands clap)_

_Let's go Dogs!_

Mr. Oswald then awarded the Mad Dog Player of the Game for the first two games:

"For Game 1, with three total touchdowns to his credit including an 88-yard kickoff return and 110 yards rushing, give it up, once again, for the tailback, number 7: Ron Stoppable!!"

The players, cheerleaders, and fans all cheered for Ron as he approached the stage to accept his award. Kim cheered the loudest for her longtime friend.

"I'm so happy to be here!! It feels I have something in my eye," the football captain exclaimed as he accepted the award from the radio announcer.

The Mad Dog Player of the Game for Game 2 was Butters Stotch, who had the 37-yard fumble return for a touchdown as one of the few bright spots for the Mad Dogs.

After the awards were announced, it was time for Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and the rest of the Mad Dog cheerleaders to show the devout fans what new moves the squad had up its sleeves.

First was the Penta-twister done by Kim. Six of the cheerleaders, including Bonnie, Tara, and Kim, gathered into a pyramid formation. Carm, Sandi, and Liz were at the bottom. Bonnie and Tara were at the near top and Kim was at the top. The two co-captains tossed their captain in the air. Kim did five twirls in the air and landed back in the arms of Tara and Bonnie. The entire crowd cheered and applauded this spectacular performance. Kim, thankfully, didn't suffer any life-threatening injuries.

Then, Bonnie unleashed her ballet skills on the cheer mat by doing a series of handstands and twirls all across the stage. She ended her routine with a perfect landing.

After those routines, the Mad Dog cheerleaders continued to pump up the crowd.

_Let's make some noise, Mad Dogs (everyone makes loud noises)_

_Let's make some noise, Mad Dogs (everyone makes loud noises)_

_Let's make some noise in the Dog Pound._

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N_

_Let's go Mad Dogs, beat the Tigers, let's win_

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N_

_Let's go Mad Dogs, beat the Tigers, let's win_

After the conclusion of their cheers and routines, the Mad Dog football players gathered on the right side as "Superstar" played in the background.

Ron led the Mad Dog chant for the first time as captain.

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS!!!!)"

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS!!!!)"

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS!!!!)"

(BARKING AND GROWLING NOISES)

"1......2.......3 MAD DOGS!!!!"

The players gathered in a huddle and performed this chant.

The cheerleaders, all wearing their standard purple cheer uniforms, left the practice field, followed by the players, and then the fans as they all marched toward the stadium. It was three hours prior to the 7:00 kickoff.

Now, the fans were more than ready to bring all this noise to Middleton High Stadium, or the "Dog Pound" as the locals called it, against the Tigers for Game 3.


	59. Pre Game 3

Time: 5:30pm, Wednesday

Setting: Middleton High Stadium

It was a beautiful and clear 54 degrees with a light breeze from the north.

It was a perfect night for football.

The Middleton Mad Dogs were going to gain revenge for their Game 2 loss when they face up against South Panola on their turf, their rules.

The crowd was rapidly coming in. The concession stands had begun to operate. The stadium's lights turned on.

It was Game Time!!!!!

Setting: Mad Dog Locker Room, 5:45

"Alright, troops!! We have a huge task ahead of us. We know what the Tigers are capable of over on their turf. Now we have to show South Panola our way of playing football in the Dog Pound!" Coach Barkin exclaimed to his 87 players. "We have to be aggressive on defense and we have to bring the crowd noise on our side against the Tigers. We also have to open up holes on the offensive line as well! Stoppable, show these players your full-fledged Middleton Mad Dog school spirit!!"

The new football captain then barked out the Mad Dog chant as loud as he can:

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)"

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)"

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)"

(BARKING AND GROWLING NOISES)

The players then huddled together.

1.....2.....3.....

MAD DOGS!!!!!!!

As the huddle broke, the Mad Dog players came out of the field for the pregame warmups.

South Panola was doing the exact same thing as well.

Setting: Mad Dog Press Box, 6:00 pm

Meanwhile, Felix and John approached Middleton's press-box. Felix used the built-in elevator for his power chair while John approached the two-level press box the old-fashioned way: the bleacher steps. As Felix exited the built in elevator, John approached him.

"You'll do the starters while I set up the stats program," Felix said as he got the laptop bag from behind his wheelchair.

"Gotcha!" was all John could say as he disappeared into the field. He got the starters first from Coach Woods and then from Coach Barkin and returned to the press box where Felix finished setting up his laptop for tonight's Game 3.

Ten minutes later, the PA announcer came in. John handed him the starting lineups of both teams.

Setting: Middleton Stadium Track, 6:20 pm

The 22 cheerleaders, meanwhile, got their golden pom-poms ready. They were wearing their purple cheer uniforms. Kim, of course, had the "C" patch embroided on her cheerleading skirt. They prepared to pump the crowd up to unexpected levels of noise.

Kim was excited to lead the cheer squad for the first time ever, although she was a little scared deep inside.

Crowds from both sides continued to fill up both the home and visiting bleachers.

As the warmups concluded and the teams headed back to their locker rooms, the Middleton PA welcomed the ever-growing crowd:

"Welcome, all you fans in Mad Dog Nation, to Game 3 of the Mississippi High School Activities Activities Football Series between your homestanding Middleton Mad Dogs and the visting South Panola High Tigers.

The series is tied at one game apiece: Your Mad Dogs won Game 1 in Batesville 28 to 23 but lost to the Tigers in Game 2, 44 to 14."

He then announced the MHSAA's policy of good sportsmanship and good conduct from both teams and that the rules will be played to the National Federation of Rules.

The radio team for Middleton's football games then came in and began their broadcast of the game.

The Middleton PA then brought up the starting lineups:

He mentioned the South Panola starters, which were the same for Games 1 and 2.

He then raised his voice for the Mad Dogs' starting lineup, which had a few new faces

"For your Mad Dogs on defense: at defensive end is the 6', 222-pound junior, number 57 Leopold Stotch; at defensive end is the 6'1, 224 pound junior, number 51 Doug Funnie; at defensive tackle is the 6'3, 322-pound senior, number 75, Mikey Blumberg; at defensive tackle is the 6'1, 297-pound senior, number 97 Ralph Wiggum; at the left linebacker position is the 6'3, 235 pound senior, number 48 TJ Detwiler; at the middle linebacker position is the 6'2, 232 pound junior, number 22 Chalkey Studebaker; at the right linebacker position is the 6'2, 236 pound junior, number 39 Jimmie Hopkins; at cornerback is the 6' 197 pound senior, number 3 Lee Jordan; at cornerback is the 6'2 195-pound senior, number 5 Vince Lasalle; at right safety is the 5'10, 185 pound junior, number 7 Ron Stoppable; and at left safety is the 5'9, 215 pound junior, number 8 Token Black.

"For your Mad Dogs on offense: at left tackle is the 6'1, 298 pound senior, number 79 Skeeter Valentine; at left guard is the 6'3, 312 pound senior, number 64 Ben Ulrand; at center is the 6'4, 279 pound senior, number 60 Devon Goldham; at right tackle is the 6'4, 329 pound senior, number 70 Harold Berman; and at right guard is the 6'2, 304 pound junior, number 61 Ray Hughes; at tight end is the 6'2, 247 pound senior, number 30 Oliver Wood; at tight end is the 6'1, 229 pound junior, number 40 Weevil Underwood; at wide receiver is the 6'1, 189 pound junior, number 1 Carver Descartes; at wide receiver is the 6'1, 195 pound senior, number 11 Stacey Logan; at tailback is the 5'10, 185 pound junior, number 7 Ron Stoppable; and at quarterback is the 5'9 184 pound junior, number 4 Stan Marsh."

After the starting lineups were announced, the invocation was heard, following the playing of the National Anthem by the Middleton High Marching band.

The two teams exited the locker rooms and gathered at opposite ends of the field. The Tigers huddled behind the construction paper of a tiger.

Kim, Bonnie, Tara and the other Mad Dog cheerleaders prepared the entrance of their Mad Dog football team, who were huddled underneath. Bonnie held the huge white Middleton HS flag while Tara carried the small flag of the Mad Dog. Liz, Jessica and Lisa carried the M,H,and S flags.

"Annnd here come your Middleton Mad Dogs," the Middleton PA said in a loud voice as the team ran though the mouth of the Mad Dog balloon. The fog machines filled the air as Bonnie led the way with the lead flag followed by Tara with the Mad Dog flag and Liz, Jessica, and Lisa carrying the small MHS flags. Kim and the other cheerleaders gave a series of handstands as the Mad Dogs took to the field.

The Tigers then took to the field.

The coin toss then commenced. The captains for both the Tigers and the Mad Dogs came to the field. The captains for South Panola were Gordon, Darius, Marvin, and Jermaine. The Mad Dog captains were Ron, Devon, TJ, and Vince. All four captains on both sides shook their hands to show good sportsmanship. When Ron's name was called on the PA system, Kim cheered wildly for him.

Since South Panola was the away team, they called the coin in the air as tails. It was heads. Middleton has won the toss.

Ron, now that he was the new captain, now had the option of receiving or deferring. He wanted to dedicate this game for not only the Mad Dogs football team but also for Kim as well.

"We'll choose to receive," Ron said to the official.

Darius, the South Panola Captain, said "We'll defend the south goal facing the school."

"Middleton has won the toss and will receive. Your Mad Dogs will defend the north goal," the PA said. The players retreated to their respective teams.

As Ron prepared to field the kickoff, Kim cheered him on.

The Tigers, clad in their white away jerseys with blue numbering on them and with red pants, prepared to kick it off.

The Mad Dogs, clad in their purple home jerseys with white numbering and their traditional red and gold pants, were more than happy to receive it.

Game 3 was under way.


	60. Game 3 Quarter 1: Ron's Time to Shine

Ted kicked the ball off resting on its tee at the 40. Dashiell Parr fielded the kick at the Mad Dog 1 and returned it Middleton's 17-yard line before Chazz Princeton, the backup Tiger linebacker, took him down on the special teams tackle.

--MID Ball--

As the Mad Dog offense took to the field, Kim and the other Mad Dog cheerleaders cheered on for Ron and the Mad Dogs.

_Let's go, Mad Dogs, here we go_

_Let's go, Mad Dogs, here we go_

On 1st and 10 from the Mad Dog 17, Ron lined up behind Stan in a single-back set. As the play clock drained down to 9 seconds, he got the handoff from Stan and went up the middle. Thanks to good blocking from Ben and Devon, he was able to pick up 7 yards to the 24 before Damon West made the stop.

On 2nd and 3, Troy Bolton, the new fullback, swapped out Weevil for a play. Stan barked the signals and handed it off to Troy again up the middle. His hard running netted him 3 yards and a Mad Dog first down. Bart Simpson and Gordon Dill comboed on the tackle for the Tigers.

With a new fresh set of downs before them, Coach Barkin decided to call in one of Ron's favorite plays, "7 Left Eagle." The ball was snapped with 11:08 left in the first period and with 11 seconds on the play clock. Ron got the handoff from Stan again and cut to the left. Good blocking by Ray helped open up a hole for Ron. He swerved by Bart and then Jermaine and, suddenly, number 7 was in the wide open field.

Kim raised her golden pom-poms in the air.

"And here COMES UNSTOPPABLE!!" the Middleton PA exclaimed. "He's down to the 30, the 20, the 10, the 5 ........ TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!."

"Boo-yah!!" Ron exclaimed as he crossed the end zone. He gave the ball to the referee.

Coach Barkin's reaction was in an escatic mood.

On only the third play of the game. Ron just gashed the famous South Panola defense with a 73-yard scoring run with 10:56 left in the period.

Kim, the cheerleaders, and the 9,000 Mad Dog fans on the home side chanted "Unstoppable!!! Unstoppable!!". She waved her pom-poms in an excited upward motion.

The Mad Dog marching band played the fight song.

Charlie Bucket added the PAT and the Mad Dogs surpised the stunned 3,000 Tiger fans with a 7-0 lead.

--SP ball--

Now, it was the defense's turn to prove that they have improved from Game 2.

Charlie kicked it off to the Tiger 3 where Karl Branting awaited the kick. The senior wideout took the ball to the 22 for a 19-yard return before Tracey brought him down.

On the first play of the Tiger drive, the Tigers started to show flashed of their old self. Darius took the handoff from Deangelo Young, the star of Game 2. He found a good block by Francis Hancock and picked up the Tiger first down to the Mad Dog 39, a 17-yard pickup. Ron and Jimmie Hopkins made the stop.

The next play was more of the same. Deangelo called in the option keeper and, once again, made it seem effortless as he picked up 21 yards as the Tigers entered into Middleton territory, at the 40. He ran out-of-bounds to avoid the big hit by Token.

However, the Mad Dog defense finally showed their strength in standing up to the juggernaut rushing offense of the Tigers.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 40, Evan tried a run up the middle but was only able to gain 1 yard as Mikey stopped him cold.

On 2nd and nine from the 39, Darius tried the left side and was able to pick up 3 yards as Doug, along with run support from Vince, made the stop at the 36. It was now 3rd and 6.

Coach Woods decided to call in his first timeout of the game with 8:55 left in the first. He decided to bring in a shotgun set with three wideouts. So, he brought in Tristian Gray. Play immediately resumed.

Kim and the cheerleaders were chanting out: "DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE!!!!!!" The crowd got in on the act as well and chanted the same thing in a loud, booming voice. Libby, in the Mad Dog costume, helped raise her hand in an up and down motion to help the Mad Dog defense any way they could.

As the play clock drained to 3, the ball was snapped. Deangelo tried to find a open receiver. Instead, he found the waiting arms of Butters Stotch. He dragged down the Tiger quarterback for a sack of a loss of 8 yards. The Mad Dog crowd instantly cheered. They had stood their ground against the very same team that poured 44 points against them in the previous game.

On fourth and 14 at the Mad Dog 44, Coach Woods had no choice but to send in the punting unit. Ash punted 30 yards to the Mad Dog 14, where Ron was awaiting his return. He fielded it at the 14 and swerving past one defender, he got all the way down to the Mad Dog 32 for an 18-yard return. Ethan Robinson brought him down.

---MID ball----

With 8:29 left in the quarter, the Mad Dogs, now enjoying their 7-0 lead, wanted more on their next drive.

Ron came back into the huddle as Middleton's offense took to the field. Kim continued to wave her pom-poms in the air.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 32, Ron continued where he left off. He got the snap from Stan and tested the right side of the Tigers' defense. He got excellent blocks from both Dashiell Baxter and Oliver and was able to pick up another Mad Dog first down at the 45, a 13-yard gain. Unstoppable was now nearing the century mark already and four minues have barely gone by in Game 3

The next play, however, was different. Ron was driven back behind the line of scrimmage for the first time in the game. He lost 2 yards up the middle to the Mad Dog 43 as Bart and Deangelo made sure he didn't break free.

_The Tigers' defense must be getting tough out there, huh? Wait till they see what happens when Unstoppable turns on the jets!! _the star tailback thought to himself in his head.

With 7:41 remaining in the first, Coach Barkin called for "7 Right Falcon." The play clock waned to 5 seconds before the ball was snapped. Ron, again, found an open hole in the defense and, immediately, he broke free again. The crowd was on its feet again.

"HERE COMES UNSTOPPABLE AGAIN!! He's down to the 40, the 30, the 20 (Only one man to beat him) and he is stopped at the Tiger 15!!"

Only Tristian Gray prevented Ron from making the touchdown, but not before he went over the century mark with a 42-yard gain.

On 1st and 10 from the Tiger 15-yard line. Ron tried a simple run up the middle but was taken down behind the line with a 1-yard loss. Deangelo, the Tigers' all-purpose counterpart to Ron, was credited on the stop.

On 2nd and 11 from the Tiger 16, the star tailback continued his assault on the Tigers' battered defense with an 8-yard gain up the middle to the 8-yard line. Dontrell and Damon combined on the stop.

A crucial third and 3 popped up on the scoreboard with 6:58 left. Coach Barkin, convinced that Ron had all but one of the carries of the Mad Dogs' running game so far, decided to call in a quarterback sneak. Stan, with 2 seconds on the play clock, snapped the signals and got the ball himself. He lunged forward and picked up 2 yards but was a yard shy of the first down. Gordon prevented him from moving the sticks.

Coach Barkin called in a timeout with 6:20 left on a crucial fourth and 1. He called for a simple run up the middle by Ron. So, Barkin brought in Jem Finch and Troy and swapped out his receivers.

The ball was snapped on an all-out fourth down conversion. All the Mad Dog offensive line and tight ends made the all-important blocks for their star tailback. Ron went to the right side and appeared to reach the goal-line, but Evan stopped him at the 1-yard line. The Mad Dogs have converted again. Kim used her left pom-pom to signal a first down.

On first and goal, Stan tried to dive his way in the end zone from the 1. A mass of humanity piled on. No touchdown signal emitted from the ref's hand as the junior quarterback was stopped for no gain. Nelson Muntz and Chazz, who just recently checked in for Jermaine and Dontrell, combined on the stop.

On 2nd and goal, Stan again tried to find his way in the end zone. He moved the pile with his 184-pound frame and went in the end zone. This time, his efforts paid off as the ref's hands went up in the air.

"TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS!!!!! Stan Marsh on a one-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown." the Middleton PA exclaimed again.

Stan scored his touchdown with 4:39 remaining in the period.

The Mad Dogs have scored again on the Tigers' defense.

Kim and the Mad Dog cheer squad jumped up and down as their golden pom-poms glowed in the bath of the stadium lights.

Charlie's second PAT sailed through the uprights as the score now stood: Middleton 14, South Panola 0.

-- SP ball --

Trying to recover from a 14-0 hole early in the first period, the Tigers got the ball back.

The kickoff teams assembled onto the field.

Charlie kicked to the South Panola goalline where Deangelo fielded the kick. The star quarterback made his way to the 22 as Oliver Oken contributed with the special teams stop.

The Mad Dog defense, confident on their last drive of stopping South Panola, took to the field once again. The Tigers could now feel that the Mad Dog crowd was starting to have a detrimental effect on them.

On first and 10 from the 22, the Tigers decided to go to the air. Deangelo threw his first pass of the game. He found an open spot in the Mad Dog secondary. Willie Wright took advantage of it and picked up 19 yards to the Tiger 41 as Token and Ron made the stop.

The next play, a first and 10 from the 41, saw Deangelo keep the ball for himself again. This time, though, he found very little in terms of opening. Deangelo picked up just 2 yards as Mikey made the stop.

On 2nd and 8 from the 43, Evan tried to find holes in the Mad Dog defense on a blast play up the middle. He picked up 5 yards to the 48 before Chalkey made his first stop as the Mad Dog starting linebacker.

The Mad Dog players and cheerleaders helped raise the crowd noise on a 3rd and 3 conversion. Kim, Bonnie, Lisa, Tara, Jessica and a few others ran across the track and motioned with their golden pom-poms to raise the crowd noise. The Tweebs, who were watching from the sidelines, helped in as well, as did a few of the third-string players.

The noise helped the Mad Dogs again. On 3rd and 3, Butters dragged Evan down for a 2-yard loss to the 46.

Unable to do anything on the first two drives. Coach Woods, at a loss of words, decided to punt again and not risk a 4th down conversion in Tiger territory. Ash punted 37 yards to the Mad Dog 17, where it was downed.

-- MID ball --

The Mad Dog offense prepared to once again take the field. South Panola's defense, still trying to recover from Ron's performance, appeared as well.

On first down, Ron continued his rushing assault with a 12-yard run up the middle to the 29. Deangelo and Jermaine brought him down as Ron moved the chains once again with 2:01 left in the first quarter

Ron was stopped, though, on the next play. He only picked up 1 yard as Roger took him down at the 30.

On 2nd and 9, Stan dropped back to pass but his pass to Carver fell short.

The third and 9 conversion saw Ron pick up 7 more yards on the ground before Marvin Young and Evan comboed on the stop.

The Mad Dogs saw their first three-and-out, so Barkin sent in his punting unit. David Childers punted 41 yards to the Tiger 22 as Deangelo awaited the return. He was only able to pick up 2 yards before Weevil contributed with the special teams stop with 51 seconds left in the period.

-- SP ball --

As the first quarter waned down, the Tigers, desperate to start something after going three-and-out twice, finally started to make some headway.

On the first play of the drive, Evan got the fullback handoff from Deangelo at the 24 and found an open hole made by Charles Harris. Ron tried to prevent him from making the first down, but the official said otherwise. He signaled a first down for the Tigers at the 34. It was a 10-yard gain for Evan.

On the next play, Coach Woods called "16 Option Left" for Deangelo with 25 seconds left in the period. The South Panola O-Line finally started to open the holes for its runners. Deangelo went to the left and swerved through the Mad Dog defense to the Tiger 48 for a 14-yard gain. Kenny McCormick and Token combined on the stop for the Mad Dogs

When the clock on the Mad Dog scoreboard reached 0:00, it signaled the end of the first period.

Kim and the Mad Dog cheerleaders yelled as loud as they could

_Here we go, Mad Dogs!!_

_Here we go, Mad Dogs!!_

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N!!!!_

_Let's go Mad Dogs, let's win!_

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N!!!!_

_Let's go Mad Dogs, let's win!_

The star all-purpose tailback heard the buzzer sound throughout the stadium.

_I'm just getting warmed up!_ Ron said to himself.

The first quarter of Game 3 ended with the score: Middleton Mad Dogs 14, South Panola Tigers 0


	61. Game 3 Quarter 2: Stuck in the Dog Pound

As the second quarter began, the Mad Dogs were already up 14-0 but the Tigers were threatening.

Turning to their traditional running game, South Panola carved its way into the Mad Dog defense.

On the first play of the second quarter, a first and 10, Deangelo took the ball himself and gained 7 yards before TJ brought him down in Mad Dog territory at the 45.

Evan was swapped out for Ash Ketchum on the 2nd and 3 conversion. Ash took the fullback handoff and picked up 6 yards for the Tiger first down before Jimmie brought him down at the Mad Dog 39.

After the first down conversion, the Tigers turned to power football. Darius bulled his way up the middle to the Mad Dog 37 for a 2 yard gain. Mikey and Ralph put their weight against Darius for the stop.

Second and eight saw Ash take a blast play and pick up 6 yards to Middleton's 31-yard line as Jimmie stopped him for Middleton.

On a short 3rd and two conversion, Deangelo lunged his way up the middle to the first down marker. Again, the Tigers barely converted the first down by the skin of their teeth. He picked up 3 yards to the Mad Dog 28 before Butters stopped him.

_Yes!! The Tigers are finally moving!_ Mrs. Simpson thought to herself. She was one of the more diehard fans of South Panola football.

Darius got the next handoff and drilled through the tired Mad Dog defense. He easily picked up the first down. TJ took him down, but along with that, he also unintentionally grabbed a piece of his face mask.

_Shit! It's against us! _Coach Barkin said to himself.

The official made his call:

UNINTENTIONAL FACE MASK ON THE DEFENSE, NUMBER 48 ON THE PLAY, IT'S HALF THE DISTANCE TO THE GOAL, FIRST DOWN!!

A few boos erupted from the Mad Dog crowd but the call was true.

The ball was moved to the Mad Dog 7. The Mad Dog players and Kim pumped up the crowd as best as they could. Chalkey and Ladarius Jones came in for the Mad Dogs' goalline defense.

With 8:51 left, Darius tried again up the middle and picked up 5 yards, thanks to a block by Dudley on Ladarius. Chalkey and Mikey combined on the stop.

Cecil Jacobs and Viktor Krum came in as extra blockers for the Tigers.

On second down and goal from the 2, Darius went up the middle and picked up the blocks from Cecil and Viktor. He crossed the goal-line as the official's hands shot up in the air. Eight minues and 22 seconds remained in the half.

"Touchdown, Tigers." The Mad Dog crowd groaned while the Tiger crowd cheered.

Ted added the PAT and the score was cut to: Middleton Mad Dogs 14, South Panola Tigers 7.

The Tigers' fight song played as the fans suddenly got back into the game. Even the Tigers' cheerleaders did a few cartwheels.

-- MID ball --

Ted kicked it off to Middleton's nine-yard line where Ron was waiting. The other half of Team Possible returned the kick for a gain of 13 yards before Chazz and Blaise combined on the stop.

The Mad Dog's offense returned back to the field where they went through their first three-and-out in the game. South Panola wanted to hold down Ron before he could do any more damage to them.

Still, Ron continued to make the Tigers' defense a living hell.

On first down from the 22, Ron again got the handoff from Stan and went to the right side. Weevil made a huge block of Damon as Number 7 picked up 7 yards to the Mad Dog 29 before Evan and Dontrell combined on the tackle for South Panola.

The dirty jersey of number 7 picked up another 5 yards and the Mad Dog first down to the 34 before Marvin made the stop.

Coach Barkin, seeing the tiredness of breath in number 7, decided to give his favorite tailback a brief rest with 7:42 left in the first half

"Weathers, you're up!" Barkin called in his senior tailback. Ron took a seat on the bench. So far, he's nearing 150 rushing yards and already has a touchdown to his credit.

On one of the few times that Ron has not carried the ball, Stan barked out the signals and gave the ball off to Ladario for the first time. Ladario picked up where Ron left off, the continuous slashing of the Tiger defense with old-fashioned smashmouth. He picked up 18 yards before Deangelo stopped him at the South Panola 48-yard line. The Mad Dogs were in Tiger territory again.

From the sidelines, Ron turned his gaze from the game slightly to Kim. She was cheering on tirelessly for her Mad Dogs chanting: _Let's go Mad Dogs!! _Her purple cheering skit flowed freely in the light wind. The shaking of her golden pom-poms in the glare of the stadium lights captured Ron's attention for a brief moment before turning his gaze back to the playing field. _Man if I can just envision her as my girlfriend, _he was caught up in his thoughts.

On first down, Ladario got another handoff from Stan and picked up 9 more yards to the Tiger 39 as Jermaine and Bart stopped him just shy of the first down.

Coach Barkin called in a timeout with 6:28 left in the period. He sent in Jem Finch while Coach Woods used the timeout to send in Nelson as an extra defender and swapped out Jermaine.

Stan tried to do a quarterback sneak on 2nd and one for the first down. With 6 seconds on the play clock, the quaterback lunged forward for the first down and picked it up. The ball moved to the Tiger 36 for a 3-yard gain. The ref signaled the first down as the Mad Dog cheerleaders continuted to dance around, raising their pom-poms in the air.

On first down, Ladario took another handoff from Stan and picked up 4 yards as Gordon stopped him at the 32.

However, on second down, things seemed to go south as Jarred Wilkes finally pierced the seemingly impenetrable Mad Dog O-Line. As Stan tried deep back to pass, the big white number 1 jersey brought Stan down for his first sack of the night for a loss of 5 yards.

On a crucial 3rd and 11 from the Tiger 37, with 4:49 left in the half, Coach Barkin called "1 Eagle pass left" and sent in Milo Kamalani. In a shotgun formation, with 4 seconds on the play clock, Stan found a gaping hole in the Tigers' secondary. Carver caught his pass in the middle of the field and picked up the first down before Tristian made the stop at the Tiger 22, a 15-yard pass play. The Mad Dog crowd immediately cheered the fact that their drive was still alive and Kim, Bonnie and the rest of the cheerleaders chanted with all their might:

_Let's go Mad Dogs!!_

_Let's fight, let's win!!_

_Let's go Mad Dogs!!_

_Let's fight, let's win!!_

_Hit the Tigers high, Hit the Tigers low!!_

_Let's go Mad Dogs, let's go!!_

Coach Barkin, now looking at the glowing 4:29 remaining on the clock, decided that Ron has rested enough. It was time for him to get back into the game.

On first and 10 from the Tiger 22, Ron got his first carry where Ladario left off, although he only gained 1 yard as Russell Northrop and Roger contributed on the stop.

Then, on second and 9 from the 21, Stan dropped back to pass again and found a wide-open Ladrecius Nesbitt with Deangelo trailing him. Ladrecius would've gone for the touchdown, but for the sake of injuries, decided to step out of bounds at the Tiger 2. It was another huge gain of 19 yards and another Mad Dog first down.

Kim led the headway charge as the 9,000 Mad Dog fans cheered in unison: "LET'S GO MAD DOGS!! LET'S GO MAD DOGS!!"

On the first and goal from the 2, Ron, now behind Stan, got the handoff with 3:20 left in the half. He fought his way up the middle and, with three Tiger white jerseys behind him, dived his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the ballgame: a two-yard run into the end zone with 3:17 left.

"TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS!! RON "UNSTOPPABLE" STOPPABLE WITH HIS SECOND TOUCHDOWN OF THE BALLGAME!!" the Mad Dog PA exclaimed through the speaker system. Kim waved the large Middleton High banner while Tara waved the smaller Mad Dog banner. The Mad Dog fight song echoed in the minds of Tiger fans that this was definitely not the same team that dissected them in Game 2 a few days ago.

After Charlie's point after, the score was extended to 21-7 in favor of the Mad Dogs.

--SP ball--

Both teams had their kicking units on the field. Charlie kicked it to Deangelo at the 1. He returned it the Tiger 14 before Kyle Broflovski made the stop. It was a 13-yard return.

South Panola fans were stunned that their team was behind by two touchdowns. The Mad Dogs were better than they thought.

Before the ball could be snapped for the first play on the drive, flags flew everywhere. There was movement on the Tigers side on the ball.

The official said "ILLEGAL PROCEDURE, ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 60, 5 YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN!!"

The ball was now placed deep at the Tiger 9. On 1st and 15, Darius got the handoff from Deangelo and picked up 7 yards to the 16 as TJ made another stop for the Mad Dogs.

Deangelo then kept the ball himself on the next play on 2nd and 8. He was able to find a hole because of excellent blocking and picked up 11 yards to the Tiger 27 for a first down. Jimmy and Chalkey combined on the stop.

Darius then carried the ball himself once again as he picked up 3 yards on the blast play before Ralph stopped him.

There was one problem with this strategy: it was taking too much time off the clock. So Coach Woods decided to call the Tigers' second timeout with 1:59 left. The Mad Dogs' defense got their brief rest and a water break.

After the timeout, Darius was able to gain 15 yards on the next play to the Tiger 45 on 2nd and 7 and a Tiger first down. Plus, he ran out-of-bounds to stop the clock with 1:40 left in the period.

Kim then took the opportunity to raise the crowd noise on the home side. She, Bonnie, Liz, Carm, London, and Sandi did a pyramid and Kim raised her pom-poms in the air. The crowd instantly cheered and, figuring that with less than 2 minutes left in the half was the perfect time to make noise, responded by stomping their feet on the bleachers repeatedly.

John, in the press box, noticed this strategy before when he was doing stats at high school. It was a huge noise-maker but he only had to deal with 4,500 fans on the home-side. Now it was double that number.

The noise was so powerful that it started to give the confidence that Ron and the Mad Dog defense to put an end to the drive and stop South Panola's offense.

As Deangelo dropped back to pass, he was under pressure. He had to throw everything he had. The ball, instead, landed in the arms of Number 7 for the Middleton Mad Dogs at the Mad Dog 29.

"AND RON STOPPABLE JUST INTERCEPTED A PASS!!!" the Middleton PA declared before the crowd, which erupted in an explosion of cheers and applause. Ron ended up at the Mad Dog 31 and it was Mad Dog football with 1:22 left in the half.

--MID ball--

On first and 10, Ron got the handoff from Stan and picked up 4 yards before Russell and Damon got their hands on him.

Now, 1:02 remained in the half.

Then on 2nd and 6 from the 35, Coach Barkin recalled Dash and Oliver and put in Milo and Wyatt Williams and put Ron in the slot position. South Panola had was an empty back formation with five wide receivers. The Tigers were caught by surprise with this formation. Ron was lined up against Tristian, a perfect mismatch. South Panola only had 5 defensive backs trying to defend 5 wide receivers

The ball was snapped with 7 seconds on the clock. Stan dropped back to pass. He avoided a hit by Russell and threw the ball with all of his might. Ron outraced Tristian and caught Stan's pass. The crowd cheered for his manuever. Bart tried to take him down, but was unable to do so. All Ron had in front of him was an open field. The nearest Tiger defender was Jermaine but he was ten yards behind Ron. He crossed the end zone again for his third touchdown.

It was a 65-yard touchdown pass from Stan to Ron.

"Boo-yah!!" Ron exclaimed he crossed the goal-line as he put three fingers in the air with one hand and handed the ball off to the referee. _Three touchdowns for me_, he thought to himself.

The entire Mad Dog crowd went wild as the school's fight song played. Bonnie carried the huge Middleton School white flag across the field while Lisa carried the smaller Mad Dog flag.

Coach Woods could not believe what he had just witness.

Coach Barkin jumped up and down for joy. He never expected his Mad Dogs, the very same Mad Dogs that he coached back in August, to be up by three touchdowns against one of the greatest prep football programs of all time.

Kim especially cheered wildly. Her red fiery hair glistened around the stadium lights. Her pom-poms felt like they could touch the sky. Never had she been in a better mood before about cheerleading. Her team was now up top of a nationally recognized program

After Charlie's PAT sailed through the goal uprights, the score was now: Middleton Mad Dogs 28, South Panola Tigers 7.

-- SP ball --

The kickoff teams took to the field. Deangelo returned Charlie's sailing kick from the 1 to the Tiger 30 for 29 yards. Dean Thomas made the stop on the kicking team.

Now with only 38 seconds left, Coach Woods didn't take the risk of running the ball downfield so he played it safe.

On first down, Evan tried a fullback handoff up the middle, but he was stuffed by Ralph for only a 1-yard gain to the Tiger 31.

With just 9 seconds remaining, Deangelo kneeled down to the Tiger 29 and that signaled the end of the first half.

Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and the cheerleaders watched as the clocked ticked down. When it reached zero, they cheered wildly. They wanted to save their most acrobatic moves for the second half.

Both the Tigers and the Mad Dog football teams went to their respective locker rooms. As Ron left the football field, he saw Kim in the distance, cheering on for the team. He can still envision the true moment of showing his love for Kim. Little did he know that Kim was thinking the same thing as well to the star tailback and football captain.

Both the new captains were doing a superior job over the handing of both the cheerleading and football programs so far.

The halftime score of Game 3 was now: Middleton Mad Dogs 28, South Panola Tigers 7.


	62. A Cause for a Halftime Celebration

The Middleton High Marching Band prepared its halftime show.

John and Felix, in the press box, brought the stats to the Middleton PA. Felix left through the elevator to get some Nacos from the concession stand, courtesy of Bueno Nacho. John wanted to try these Nacos out.

Meanwhile, the Middleton PA announced the stats for the first half of Game 2:

"The halftime score is your Middleton Mad Dogs 28, the South Panola Tigers 7 in the first half.

"For your Mad Dogs in rushing offense, Ron "Unstoppable" Stoppable has 184 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns; Ladario Weathers has 31 yards on three carries; Troy Bolton has three yards on one carry; and Stan Marsh has one yard on five carries and one touchdown. In all, your Mad Dogs have 219 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns.

"For the Tigers on the ground, Darius Griffin had 69 yards on nine carries and one touchdown; Deangelo Young had 50 yards on seven carries; Evan Nordan had 15 yards on five carries; and Ash Ketchum had 12 yards on two carries. In all, the Tigers have 146 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown.

"Through the air, for your Mad Dogs, Marsh was three of four for 99 yards and one touchdown. Stoppable has one catch for 65 yards and one touchdown; Stacey Logan has one catch for 19 yards; and Carver Descartes has one catch for 15 yards.

"For the Tigers, Young was one of two for 19 yards and one interception to Willie Wiggins.

"In all, your Mad Dogs have 318 yards on 29 plays while the Tigers have 165 yards on 25 plays."

John couldn't believe the numbers in his head. He could not believe that South Panola, the very same South Panola squad that humiliated his alma mata, was being shellshocked themselves. _I can't simply believe the Mad Dogs have twice as many yards as the Tigers do. It just doesn't add up, _he said to himself.

Down at the sidelines, Kim could hardly contain her excitement.

Ron was nearing the 200-yard rushing mark and has scored three touchdowns to his name.

She had been the cheer captain for a half of a football game, and it has been great to her so far. The squad was more united than ever before and school spirit never looked so better on the Mad Dog squad.

Bonnie and Tara came up to Kim as she headed out to the concession stand.

"Hey, K! Great job out there! You were awesome back there!" Bonnie exclaimed as she congradulated her long-time friend for a job well done so far.

"Aww, B! It was no big! I guess we came to play football tonight, huh?" Kim responded as she grabbed her wallet from her handbag for money for some Nacoes and a diet soda.

"Yeah, K! I guess Ron can break the school record for all-purpose yards. He already has over 250 total yards," Bonnie said. She had been keeping up with the stats. Then, the thought of Ron having his first kiss with Kim came back to her head.

"Speaking of which, K, are you going to express your love for Ron anytime soon?" Bonnie wondered as she sipped on the soda that she bought.

"I guess so, B. I just don't know when that perfect time is!" Kim answered as the cashier gave her the change and her food.

"Don't worry, K! You'll have enough confidence within you to show how much you love Ron. I have my complete faith in you, K." Bonnie said as she outstretched her tan-skinned arm around Kim's back.

"Oh, thank you, B! You're one of the most best friends I've had in my entire life!" Kim was thankful of the compliment from the co-captain.

The two cheerleaders walked back into the stands where the other cheerleaders were conversing with friends and family.

Kim and Bonnie then sat next to Monique and the three conversed about how well the game was going so far.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In the Mad Dog locker room, Coach Barkin congradulated his players by taking the fight to the Tigers.

"All of y'all have acted together as a team, united on all fronts. You have stood strong against the Tigers throught the first half. As a result, we are up by three touchdowns against one of the best programs in the nation! You have done very well on both offense and defense. Now I want you to keep up this performance for the second half. However, I don't want you to get cocky out there. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!"

"Yes, Sir" the 87 Mad Dog players responded. Coach Barkin knew that the Tigers will not back down in the second half. He cannot afford his Mad Dogs to screw up.

After the halftime performances concluded, both teams returned to the game field for the second half. After 10 minutes of warm-ups, the kickoff teams got ready for the second half. South Panola was going to get the ball first to start the third quarter.

Charlie kicked the tee off.

The second half of Game 3 was underway.


	63. Game 3 Quarter 3: A Noisy Doghouse

The third quarter began as Charlie's kickoff sailed through the end zone for a touchback. The officials moved the ball to the 20.

--SP ball --

On the first play on this very important drive, Darius took the handoff to the right side and was able to pick up 5 yards before Vince stopped him at the 25.

A 2nd and 5 conversion appeared on the scoreboard. With 8 seconds on the play clock, Deangelo went deep back to pass. The pass went through Willie's hands before it fell incomplete.

Evan stepped up the for the Tigers on third and 5. He got the fullback handoff and picked up 6 yards to the Tiger 31. Jimmie made the stop, but not before the Tigers moved the chains.

On the play after that, Darius got the counter from Deangelo and picked up 6 yards before TJ stopped him.

Deangelo then picked up 9 yards himself on the option on the 2nd and 4 coversion as Lee and Chalkey both made the tackle at the Tiger 46. It was another first down

On the sixth play of the drive, Ash subbed in for Evan with 9:04 left. Coach Woods called for a simple fullback blast. Ash found a hole created by Francis and went through it. Ron was able to bring him down, but also grabbed Ash's face mask and twisted it. This prompted the officials to throw the yellow laundry all over the grassy turf.

_Oh, damn, please not a personal foul,_ Ron said to himself.

Unfortunately it was, as he feared, a personal foul against him.

The officials barked out the call:

PERSONAL FOUL, INTENTIONAL FACE MASK ON THE DEFENSE, NUMBER 7 ON THE PLAY, 15-YARD PENALTY ASSESSED FROM THE END OF THE RUN, 1ST DOWN.

Mad Dog fans booed at the call but the ball now moved from the Mad Dog 47 to the Mad Dog 32 because of the foul.

After the penalty, Darius carried again for the Tigers up the middle and picked up 7 yards to Middleton's 25 yard-line. Token made the tackle for Middleton.

Evan came back in for Ash on 2nd and 3. He got the carry up the middle and picked up 5 yards to the Mad Dog 20 as TJ and the stained recognizable jersey of Ron combined on the stop. Another first down was added up to the Tigers.

Evan carried again on the blast play up the middle to the Mad Dog 17 for a 3-yard gain. Jimmie made the stop again for the Mad Dogs.

It was now the 10th play of the drive. Coach Barkin needed help fast. This was an important drive to the Mad Dog defense as well, for they were getting tired out there.

Kim first turned her attention to the game field and then to the scoreboard. She had to do something fast to pump up the crowd.

Luckily, Deangelo's pass intended for Karl Branting fell incomplete on second down, so now a third down and 7 was coming up.

Kim then turned to the golden pom-poms that she held in her hand and got an idea. She then motioned to Bonnie, Tara, Lisa, Carm, Caitlin, and Sharpay to utilize their pom-poms and hit them on the track as fast as they can. This caused a chain reaction to the reamining 15 cheerleaders to do the same thing as well. Suddenly, the crowd started making noise and stomped their shoes on the metallic bleachers on the home side. Then, the second and third-string Mad Dog players started to raise their hands in an up and down motion to pump up the crowd even more. Chants of "DE-FENSE!!! DE-FENSE!!!" were uttered from the 9,000 fans still present in the Mad Dog crowd. It was starting to affect play as well.

On third down and 7, Deangelo dropped back to pass again. He threw the ball to Willie but Ron got 5 yards in front of him and tipped the ball. It fell incomplete

Chants of "UNSTOPPABLE!!" began to be mixed in with "DEFENSE!!". It was now 4th and 7. The Mad Dog subs, including the Tweebs, were pumping up the crowd.

Coach Woods sent in a shotgun formation by replacing Francis with Tristian for an extra third wide receiver. Coach Barkin countered by subbing out Jimmie and TJ for Dean and Jamie Davis for a dime defense.

The noise at the Dog House reached to the point in which the play was barely snapped with one second on the play clock.

Exactly seven minues remained in the third as Deangelo snapped the ball. He was under pressure as he tried to scan the field for an open receiver. Two purple Mad Dog jerseys approached him from behind and brought him down. It was Chalkey and Butters who brought him down for a sack of a loss of 4 yards to the Mad Dog 21. The Mad Dog crowd again burst with cheers and applause. Tiger fans were in disbelief. Six minutes and 53 seconds remained in the third quarter and it was still 28-7 in favor of the Mad Dogs.

Coach Barkin congradulated his defense for standing their ground against South Panola as the Mad Dog offense took to the field with Ron, once again, as the single back.

-- MID ball --

The Mad Dogs began their first play of the second half with the familiar Number 7 running up the middle, but Ron fell backwards behind the line of scrimmage as Roger brought him down for a loss of 1 yard to the 20.

On 2nd and 11, Ron tried again but got the same result, a loss of 1 yard. This time the stop was made by Evan.

_Come on Ron!! I know you can do this!_ Kim prayed to herself on a crucial third down with 5:28 left in the period.

On a 3rd and 12 conversion, Lance Jackson and Wyatt Williams came in for Weevil and Ron moved in the slot position. Stan was creating a similar empty-back set. Hector Zeroni, Blaise, and Tristian came in for Bart, Evan, and Damon for a dime package for the Tigers.

Ron was paired against Blaise and, like last time, Stan took advantage of the mismatch. The ball was snapped at 2 left on the play clock. He dropped back to pass and spotted Ron, who was ahead of Blaise. He caught the pass and at the Mad Dog 29 and moved 5 yards to the Mad Dog 34 to move the sticks. Blaise stopped him but not before Ron picked up 15 more yards.

Lance and Wyatt came out and the tight ends, Dash and Oliver came back in. Ron was back in his usual single-back set.

On first and 10 from the 34, Ron got another carry from Stan and got 5 more yards to the Mad Dog 39. Bart took him down.

Then, on 2nd and 5 with 4:39 left in the period, Ron added another carry up the middle and picked up 3 yards before Marvin took him down.

Barkin, knowing that the momentum was totally on his team, called in "7 Left Hawk" in which Ron would carry the ball to the left. The two tight ends would provide the blocks and number 7 would do the rest.

It was now 3rd and two at the Mad Dog 42 with 3:42 left. The play clock drained to just 4 seconds before the ball was snapped. Ron shifted to his left and Dashiell and Oliver provided the blocks for their star back. Ron now had an open hole right in front of him. He left the Tiger defenders in the dust.

"AND HERE COMES UNSTOPPABLE STOPPABLE!!!!!!!!!!" the Middleton PA yelled through the speaker system. "AND STOPPABLE IS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE 20, THE 10, THE 5 ............

Ron crossed the goal line, leaving the Tiger defense speechless. Bart couldn't believe what he witnessed.

"TOUCHDOWN MAD DOGS!!!! UNSTOPPABLE STOPPABLE NOW HAS FOUR TOUCHDOWNS TONIGHT!!!!!" the Middleton PA exclaimed. It was Ron's fourth touchdown of the game --- a 58-yard run into the end zone with 3:32 left in the period.

Coach Barkin jumped up and down for joy. The Mad Dog players on the sidelines cheered.

"Boo-yah, Unstoppable Stoppable is in the house!!" he exclaimed as he handed the ball to the game official. Chants of "UNSTOPPABLE, UNSTOPPABLE" did not cease from the Mad Dog crowd.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders cheered for their hero who wore the number 7 jersey. Bonnie, Tara and Lisa cheered louder for Ron. However, the loudest cheer went to Kim as she cheered: "Let's Go, Unstoppable!"

The fight song from the Mad Dog marching band played as Kim carried the big Middleton white flag and Lisa followed her, carrying the smaller Mad Dog flag up and down across the track.

Charlie added his fifth PAT of the ballgame. The Mad Dogs have officialy put this game out of reach. The score was now: Middleton Mad Dogs 35, South Panola Tigers 7.

--SP ball--

After Ron's touchdown, South Panola was now suffering its worst road loss in 9 years. Charlie kicked the ball off and Karl fielded it for the Tigers. He returned it 25 yards to the Tiger 32. Oliver Oken contributed on the stop.

On the first play of the drive, Deangelo, who was still the quarterback, kept it himself for an 8-yard gain to the Tiger 40. Not suprisingly, Number 7 made another appearance. Ron stopped Deangelo. The Mad Dog crowd cheered again for their hero of the game.

The Tigers' hopes for scoring were dashed away on the next play on 2nd and 2. Evan got the fullback handoff from Deangelo but was stuffed by Ralph at the line of scrimmage. To make Evan's sitch even worse, Ralph popped the ball loose before Evan's knee touched the ground, which was a live ball and a fumble. Kenny McCormick dived on the live ball. Some of the Mad Dog defenders, including Ron, gestured with their hands that the football was in their possession. The referee signaled that it was Mad Dog football. The Mad Dogs recovered the fumble in Tiger territory.

Then, some of the Mad Dog starting defense waved their hands in a good-bye fashion. Just like the Tigers early in the third quarter of Game 2, the starters were more than ready to rest for the remainder of Game 3. The crowd and the cheerleaders clapped in unison for their heroes as they went back to the Mad Dog bench for a much needed rest.

The Tigers' crowd started to depart.

--MID ball--

Now that the Mad Dogs had the ball at the Tiger 40 and that they led by 35-7 against South Panola, Coach Barkin spoke with Stan momentarily.

"Marsh, I think we need to rest you up for the rest of the game and in a couple of plays, I'll bring out Stoppable for the remainder of the game. We want every one of our starters to rest up for Game 4 on Friday."

"OK, Coach! Sounds fine to me!" Stan responded to Barkin. He knew that he had seen enough action: four of five passing for 114 yards and one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.

"Brodie, come here!" Barkin called in his backup quarterback, Axel Brodie.

"Yes, Coach Barkin?" Axel asked the head coach.

"We need you in the field. Marsh is done for the night." Barkin demanded lightly.

"OK, Coach, I'm in!" was all Axel can say as the number 10 jersey took to the field.

Even though Axel was now under center, Ron was still the tailback. He just saw a couple of new faces, including Milo and Lance at wide receiver and Troy at fullback.

On first down, Ron got the handoff from Axel and picked up 1 yard before Jarred and Grover stopped him at the Tiger 39.

Axel then displayed his rushing abilities on a quarterback draw on second down and 9. He found a hole, thanks to the powerful Middleton O-Line with four seniors on the team, and picked up the first down. To avoid the hit. Axel went out of bounds with 2:17 left in the third.

And that was when Ron decided to rest for the remainder of the game. He had 249 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground, an interception, a couple of tackles, and two catches for 81 yards and a fourth touchdown through the air. Chants of "UNSTOPPABLE!! UNSTOPPABLE !!" were commonplace in the Dog Pound as he took his seat in the bleachers. The only thing Ron can look at now was his favorite red-haired cheerleading captain simultaneously leading the Mad Dog cheering squad and the 9,000 fans still present. He can finally put the pressure of the game behind him and concentrate all his attention on his ever-growing love for Kim. How should I display my love for Kim? Ron thought to himself.

The game continued on without Ron. Ladario replaced him for a brief time.

Troy got the first-down fullback handoff and bulled his way up the middle to the Tiger 22 for 2 yards. Bart made the stop.

On 2nd and 8, Ladario carried the ball for only the fourth time tonight, but it was a charm. The senior tailback went to the right guard and broke through the Tiger defense and, eventually, crossed the pylon for the Mad Dogs' sixth touchdown of the ballgame -- a 22-yard touchdown run with 1:32 left in the period.

"AND HERE COMES LADARIO WEATHERS FOR YOUR MAD DOGS! HE IS IN THE END ZONE! TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS!!" the Middleton PA exclaimed. The Mad Dog fans cheered even louder for their beloved football players. The remaining Mad Dog starters retreated back to the sidelines to rest up for the Thanksgiving holiday and for Game 4 on Friday night.

Charlie's sixth point after sailed through the uprights. The Mad Dogs now increased their lead to 42-7 over South Panola.

Kim did a few cheers as Bonnie carried the huge Middleton banner against the increasing wind and Liz followed behind with the smaller flag.

Tiger fans, depressed by this performance, headed for the exits.

--SP ball--

Now, new faces started to appear on the Mad Dogs' kickoff team. Charlie kicked it off to Karl at the Tiger 2; Karl returned it to the Tiger 21 where Tino Tonitini made the special teams tackle with 1:23 left in the period.

Instead of the Mad Dog starters, the crowd now began to see the second-team Mad Dog defense, because the score was so lopsided. The starters were already resting on the sidelines. Ron was still thinking about Kim.

On first down from the 21, Deangelo ran an option play and picked up 18 yards to the Tiger 39 where Dean Thomas stopped him. It was a Tiger first down but it didn't matter.

On the next play from the 39, Deangelo completed only his second pass to Willie for a 15-yard pickup where Wyatt stopped him at the Mad Dog 46. The Tigers moved the sticks again.

The final play of the third quarter with 30 seconds left was Darius carrying the pigskin up the middle. He only picked up 1 yard as Cory Baxter made his very first stop in a Mad Dog uniform.

As the game clock buzzed zero seconds to signal the end of the third quarter, all of Mad Dog Nation cheered. Kim, Bonnie and the other cheerleaders led in a chant:

_Who's here to stay?_

_The Mad Dogs are here to stay!!_

_Who's here to stay?_

_The Mad Dogs are here to stay!!_

_Let's go Mad Dogs, let's win!!_

In a performance that was fitting enough, the Mad Dogs had been winning from the very start of Game 3

At the end of the third period of Game 3, the score was: Middleton Mad Dogs 42, South Panola Tigers 7.


	64. Game 3 Quarter 4: The Mad Dog Puppies

The fourth quarter of Game 3 was anticlimatic because the starters for the Mad Dogs, including the familiar number 7 of Ron Stoppable, were resting for the remainder of the game.

The second-team Mad Dog defense was already in the ballgame.

The Tigers were going to play catchup for the rest of the game.

On the first play of the quarter, a 2nd and 9, Ash tried a fullback blast and picked up 5 yards before Tracey stopped him at the Mad Dog 40.

Then on 3rd and 4, the Tigers made another mistake. Deangelo tried to carry it as best as he could but Kyle hit him hard and the ball jarred loose out of Deangelo's hand. The ball fell on the turf as a fumble. Craig Tucker, the backup Mad Dog defensive end picked it up at the 40. It was Mad Dog football again. The Tigers had committed their third turnover of the ballgame.

Kim and a few cheerleaders did a few cartwheels and handstands to celebrate another accomplishment for their fellow Mad Dogs in an already humiliating blowout.

--MID Ball--

Axel resumed his duties at quarterback and prepared to waste as much time as possible off the clock. The entire Mad Dog second team offense was in the game now. Zeke Baylor lined up behind Troy and Axel. The offensive line was also all new with second-stringers as well. Jem Finch was the new Mad Dog tight end and Milo and Lance were the new wideouts.m

The Tigers still had their defensive starters out.

On the first play of the drive from the Mad Dog 40, Axel tried to find an open hole but was cut down quickly by Evan and Marvin behind the line of scrimmage for a 5-yard loss.

Zeke carried the ball on 2nd and 15 and found an open hole in the Tiger defense, thanks to a good block by backup guard Troy Miller. He picked up 19 yards and a Tiger first down before Deangelo and Tristian made the stop at the Tiger 46.

At that point, Coach Woods swapped Bart and Marvin for Chazz and Spike Hammersmith.

Coach Barkin changed tailbacks from Zeke to Dwayne Robertson.

On first down from the Tiger 46, Dwayne got his first carry of the game and drilled the Tigers for 14 yards on the right guard. . Spike made the stop but not before the Mad Dogs moved the chains to the Tiger 32.

On first and 10 from the Tiger 32, Axel gave Dwayne the ball again but was stuffed by Gordon for a loss of 2 yards to the Tiger 34.

The Mad Dogs faced a 2nd and 12 from the Tiger 34. Before the ball can be snapped, flags flew everywhere. It was an offsides penalty

OFFSIDES, DEFENSE NUMBER 76 ON THE PLAY, IT'S A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL SECOND DOWN.

The ball moved to the Tiger 29 and it was now 2nd and seven.

On the play following the penalty, Jimmy Zara came in to replace Troy at fullback with 8:50 left in the game. Dwayne got another handoff before being stopped at the line of scrimmage by Russell for no gain.

Coach Barkin decided to call in a timeout with 8:35 remaining in the game on a 3rd and 7. He did this just to bring in Michael Mackenzie and Terrell Nesbitt as new Mad Dog wideouts in the game.

After the timeout ended, Axel barked the signals as he kept the ball himself on a direct snap from Boomer Bledsoe. He picked up 1 yard before Jarred brought him down at the Tiger 28.

The Tigers then called in their timeout as well with 8:27 left on 4th and 6. It only delayed the inevitable

On 4th and 6 from the Tiger 28, Axel took in another direct snap from Boomer and was immediately taken down by Chazz for a 2-yard gain to the Tiger 26.

As the Mad Dog subs were finishing up the game, Ron, from the sidelines, was just simply enjoying the show of the cheerleaders. He still set his sights on his primary target cheerleader, Kim. He had been thinking about the near kiss that they had at the Beverly. It felt like that their two hearts were beating simultaneously. Ron could just imagine the sight of her emerald eyes looking deep down in his brown eyes as the moonlight beams shone upon the both of them. He was a little scared inside but felt like that he can do this.

Kim, at this point, was now doing simple cartwheels and tumbles. She kept on thinking about Ron as well. It felt like that every time the star tailback scored his four touchdowns tonight, she could feel a strong emotional connection to him whether shouting out his name or carrying the large Middleton flag across the track. Kim imagined Ron's embrace in his arms. Although she could not feel his battle-scared and grass-stained number 7 jersey, deep down, she can feel his heart. She thought back to that harmonica duet that they had with each other and hug that they had with each other on Friday, and the experience that they had at the Beverly yesterday. Deep down inside, Kim was more than ready to take the big leap.

-- SP ball --

Back at the game, Coach Woods couldn't bear to watch his star quarterback to make any more mistakes, so he brought in the Tiger reserves as well. He sent in Ray Tatum to be the backup Tiger quarterback for the rest of the game.

Barkin then mixed up some of his third-stringers with his second-stringers. He wanted his backup players to have fun with 8:19 left in the game.

Rickey Griffin lined up behind Ash and Ray for the Tigers.

On first and 10 from the 26, Ray's first play as the new Tiger QB was a pass play. He found a wide-open Anthony Butler. The senior wideout caught the pass from Ray and was taken down at the 46 by Oliver. However, Oliver also happened to get a little bit of his face mask as well. Yellow flags flew everywhere.

The official made the call:

UNINTENTIONAL FACE MASK, ON THE DEFENSE NUMBER 21 ON THE PLAY, IT IS A 5-YARD PENALTY ASSESED FROM THE END OF THE PLAY, FIRST DOWN.

None of the fans booed because their Mad Dogs had a substantial lead.

On the next play after the penalty, Rickey got his first action of the ballgame. His first carry up the middle went for 3 yards to the Mad Dog 46 before Brock Kelley, another backup defensive end and Cory made the stop for the Mad Dogs.

On 2nd and 7, Ash got another blast play up the middle but only picked up 3 yards before Kyle made the stop.

The 3rd and 4 conversion saw Ray keep the ball for himself. He found an open hole and picked up 5 yards to the Mad Dog 38 before Jackson Stewart, a third-string linebacker, took him down with 6:39 left in the period. Ray picked up the Tiger first down.

On the next play, though, Ray tried deep back to pass. His pass intended for Kendrick McGee was intercepted by ... Josh Mankey, number 94 for the Mad Dogs, Kim's old crush, and another third-string linebacker, at the Mad Dog 11 with 5:58 left in the game. Josh swerved by one defender before being stopped by Rickey and Ash at the Mad Dog 22. Kim did a few cheers and a couple of twirls for Josh.

--MID ball--

After Josh's interception, Axel returned under center. Zeke and Jimmie Zara lined up behind Axel. Luke Stetson and Zack Martin were the new tight ends while Michael was the lone Mad Dog wideout.

The Tigers now had their second-team defense in as well.

The Mad Dogs continued to grind out the clock.

On first and 10 from the 22, Zeke took his second carry to the left side and was taken down at the 23 by Terrance Corley, the second-string defensive end, for the Tigers.

On 2nd and 9, Axel took in the direct snap option and kept it himself. He found another hole in the Tiger defense and went to the Mad Dog 35. He went out of bounds to avoid the hit by Hector Zeroni to stop the clock with 5:02 left in the game.

This also gave Coach Barkin an opportunity to put in Chad Danforth, the third-string tailback.

Chad got his first taste of carrying the football on first and 10 from the Mad Dog 35. He picked up 3 yards to the 38 before Junior Silverio, the backup linebacker, made the tackle.

Then, Jimmie Zara got his chance to add up the number of Mad Dog ballcarries to carry the football. Jimmie picked up 2 yards up the middle before Justin Wilkes, Jarred's younger brother, contributed with the stop.

On 3rd and 5, the Tigers called in their second timeout with 3:55 left. Again, they delayed the inevitable.

After the timeout expired, Chad carried it again up the middle but was taken down behind the line of scrimmage by Vincent Crabbe for the Tigers. That set up only the second time that the Mad Dogs had to punt.

On 4th and 7 from the Mad Dog 38, David punted the ball 48 yards to the Tiger 12 where Ray returned it 11 yards to the Tiger 23. Jackson took him down.

-- SP ball --

The entire third-sting Mad Dog defense came into the ballgame with 3:04 left.

The second-string Tiger offense remained on the field. Blaise and Todd Snap, the third fullback, lined up behind Ray.

On first and 10 from the 23, Blaise got his first carry of the game and picked up 4 yards before Bridon Guermo, a third-string linebacker, made the stop for the Mad Dogs at the 27.

On 2nd and 6, Todd got in his first carry as well as he was instantly stuffed by Buzz Winters, a third-string defensive lineman, and Jonesy Garcia, the third-team safety who came in on run support at the line of scrimmage for no gain.

Ray's pass intended for for Kendrick on third and 6 was tipped by Gerald Johanssen as it fell incomplete and the Tigers had to go three and out again.

As the game clock wore down to underneath two minutes, Ron, now a spectator on the sidelines, decided that the time was close to convince Kim of his love for her. Kim was also thinking this very same thought about Ron.

Ash's punt from the 27 went 41 yards to the Mad Dog 32. Donny Dion, another third-string tailback, was prepared to return the punt, but as the football approached him, it touched Donny's foot as he muffed the punt. It was scooped up by another backup Tiger linebacker, Draco Malfoy, Draco returned it 17 yards to the Mad Dog 11 as Donny and Josh combined on the stop.

-- SP ball ---

This time, Ethan Robinson lined up behind Todd and Ray for the Tigers.

Barkin brought in Tony Golia, Trevor Moore, William White, Landry Clarke, and Jason Cross to try and empty out his roster.

On the first, and only, play of the drive, Ethan took the handoff from Ray and got a good block from Cecil. He broke a tackle from Trevor and dived into the end zone for a Tiger touchdown with 1:38 left in the game.

It was an 11-yard scoring run by Ethan following the mistake by Donny.

"Touchdown, South Panola," the Middleton PA unethusicastically announced. Only 900 Tiger fans were present to hear that call.

The Tigers attempted a two-point conversion when Ray tried to keep the ball himself, but Landry prevented him from crossing the goal line.

The new score was now: Middleton Mad Dogs 42, South Panola Tigers 13.

-- MID ball --

The time was inevitable for Kim. Those 98 seconds left on the game clock seemed like an eternity for the new cheering captain who wanted to embrace her Ron after the final buzzer sounded.

Ted kicked a low-lying drive to the Mad Dog 11 where Donny returned it to the Mad Dog 35 for a 24-yard return. Draco made the stop.

Coach Barkin decided that his second-string offense had seen enough action for the ballgame. He congradulated Axel for his performance as the backup quarterback. Now, he turned to his third-string quarterback, Brick Flagg.

"I'm ready Coach!" Brick said to Barkin.

"OK, Flagg, let's get in there and let's finish up this game!!" Barkin commanded Brick. Brick then got his Mad Dog helmet and prepared to take the field with 1:30 remaining in the game.

The Tigers still had their second-team defense out.

The new players for the Mad Dogs included their third-string offensive line. Brick was now the third Mad Dog quarterback under the huddle. Donny was the new tailback and Jackson was now the team's third fullback. Jude Lizowski was the new tight end for the Mad Dogs. Both Jim and Tim Possible were the new Mad Dog wideouts.

On first down from the 35, Brick got his first action when he handed the ball off to Donny up the middle. Donny picked up 5 yards to the 40 before Draco and Germichael Diggs combined on the stop. Donny was now the tenth different Mad Dog to carry the football.

With 1:09 left in the game, Brick decided to become the eleventh. He kept the ball himself on 2nd and 5. Finding a good block from Trent Northwick, Brick fought his way to the Mad Dog 46 for a gain of 6 yards. It was good enough to move the sticks as Blaise contributed on the stop.

Now, the clock dwindled to just 51 seconds as Barkin put the last Mad Dog tailback on his roster number 34, Chad Morris, in the huddle as he swapped out Donny.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 46, Chad went up the middle to the Mad Dog 49 for a gain of 3 yards before Terrance made the stop.

With 29 seconds left, Harold and Josh got the Gatorade cooler ready. They gave Barkin his Gatorade bath and he laughed with his players. He enjoyed every single second of the famous lemon-lime Gatorade on his .

buzzcut.

The final play of game saw Jackson get the fullback handoff from Brick. He became the 13th Mad Dog to run the football in Game 3. Jackson was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage by Nelson Muntz for a loss of 3 yards.

It didn't matter. The Mad Dogs were back in the series lead and gained revenge for the Game 2 defeat.

As the game clock showed 0:00, alll 22 Mad Dog cheerleaders threw their golden pom-poms in the air to signal their football team's victory.

Kim couldn't contain her emotions anymore. Now was the perfect time to express her love for Ron. She thought of the perfect symbol to signify that their relationship was ready to go to the next level.

Ron was ready to express his love for Kim as well.

Two hearts were ready to join together.

Back in the press box, Felix closed up his laptop. This was one of the best games that he's ever seen from the Mad Dogs.

The final score for Game 3 was: the Middleton Mad Dogs 42, the South Panola Tigers 13.


	65. The First Kiss

As the final horn sounded throughout Middleton High Stadium, the Mad Dogs were now ahead in the series by two games to one.

Before heading back to the elevator, Felix handed the final Game 3 stats to Mr. Berry, the Middleton PA announcer. He then closed the elevator doors as Mr. Berry announced the final stats through the speaker system.

"Your final score for Game 3 of the MHSAA Football Series is your Middleton Mad Dogs 42, the South Panola Tigers 13.

"For your Mad Dogs on the ground, Ron "Unstoppable" Stoppable leads the team with 249 yards on 22 carries and three touchdowns; Ladario Weathers had 53 yards on four carries and one touchdown; Axel Brodie had 25 yards on five carries; Zeke Baylor had 20 yards on two carries; Dwayne Robertson had 12 yards on three carries; Brick Flagg had six yards on one carry; Donny Dion had five yards one carry; Troy Bolton had five yards on two carries; Chad Morris had three yards on one carry; Jimmie Zara had two yards on one carries; Chad Danforth had one yard on two carries; Stan Marsh had one yard on five carries and one touchdown; and Jackson Stewart lost three yards on one carry. In all, your Mad Dogs had 379 yards on 50 carries and five touchdowns. Thirteen different players carried the ball.

"For the Tigers on the ground, Darius Griffin had 88 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown; Deangelo Young had 81 yards on 12 carries; Evan Nordan had 29 yards on nine carries; Ash Ketchum had 27 yards on five carries; Ethan Robinson had 11 yards on one carry and one touchdown; Ray Tatum had five yards on one carry; Blaise Zabini had four yards on one carry; Rickey Griffin had three yards on one carry; and Todd Snap had no yards on one carry. In all, the Tigers had 248 yards on 44 carries and two touchdowns.

"For your Mad Dogs through the air; Marsh was four of five for 114 yards and one touchdown. "Unstoppable" Stoppable had 80 yards on two catches, Stacey Logan had 19 yards on one catch; and Carver Descartes had 15 yards on one catch.

"For the Tigers through the air, Young was two of six for 34 yards and one pick and Tatum was one of three for 20 yards and one interception. Willie Wiggins had two catches for 34 yards and Anthony Butler had one catch for 20 yards. In all, the Tigers were three of nine for 54 yards and two picks.

"For total offense, your Mad Dogs had 493 yards on 55 plays while the Tigers had 302 yards on 53 plays.

"Your Mad Dogs had also forced four turnovers in the win.

"And ..... I have been handed this report!" Mr. Berry then raised his voice in an excited mood "Unstoppable Stoppable has ... BROKEN THE MAD DOG ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE RECORD HELD IN A SINGLE GAME!!! HE HAD 362 ALL-PURPOSE YARDS IN TONIGHT'S GAME!! HE BROKE THE OLD RECORD BY 34 YARDS!!"

Ron was in his battered purple number 7 jersey. It was a little bit torn around the edges and had grass stains all over them. He had both of his hands taped and had a couple of tiny cuts on his leg and bruises, but he escaped injury free. When he heard that announcement come from the speaker system, he raised his fist up in the air and shouted his trademark "BOO-YAH!!"

Cecilia and David Stoppable were there in the crowd. Rufus was sitting in David's lap, filled up from Nacos from halftime. The naked mole rat was holding a little pennant saying "Record" on it. Both Ron's parents and his naked mole rat was cheering for him.

"Yay, Ron!" Rufus exclaimed from the stands.

Ron thought that being the football captain, shattering the all-purpose yardage record in a single game, and the 29-point blowout win was sweet enough. But the sweetest part of his night was seeing the cheerleading captain, Kim Possible, leading not only the Mad Dog cheering squad but also the Mad Dog crowd back from the Game 2 rut to victory. The two were ready for the big leap.

Both the Mad Dog players and Tiger players shook hands on the battlefield that they have fought for 48 minutes.

Then, the cheerleaders were furling up the flags while the stats were being announced. Kim then caught the attention of Ron after the announcement that he broke the all-purpose rushing record. Her feelings for Ron could not be contained anymore. She immediately dropped her golden pom-poms and, in the bath of the glow of the stadium light bulbs, started to run towards Ron with her arms wide open. Ron, now turning his full attention on Kim, started to open up his arms to embrace the cheering captain.

"KP!!" Ron exclaimed as he ran with all his might. His cleats were slowing him down.

"Ron!!" Kim yelled as she approached Ron.

The two captains hugged each other at the 40-yard line. Kim could feel the medical tape on Ron's hands on her bare middriff while Ron could feel Kim's soft hands on his battered number 7 jersey. Then they held hands with each other as they approached midfield where the "M" logo stood. As they walked the short ten-yard distance to midfield, Kim and Ron gazed into each other's eyes as they looked back, in their minds, at the memories that led them up to this moment: their very first meeting in Pre-K, the first mission that they have been on, the countless times that they have faced against, and triumphed, against Drakken and his associates. But it was this very football series that took Kim and Ron's friendship and brought it to a new level. The harmonicas, the very end of Game 1 and the hug afterwards, the promise of winning Game 3 after the Game 2 defeat, the cheerleading elections that helped saved Ron from Camille's evil infuence, and the near-romantic experience that they had at the Beverly. All of this has led the two to this very moment.

Heeding to Sharpay's advice, Kim looked inside her heart and wanted to know if Ron would be the right boyfriend for Kim. This was the hardest decision ever for Kim. Fortunately for her, her heart chose the word: "Yes". Now would be the time to express their love for each other.

It was like the two were meant for each other.

Bonnie and Sharpay, having given the advice to their captain, were encouraging Kim. _Come on K! I know you can do this! _Bonnie thought to herself.

As they came upon the Mad Dog logo, Kim and Ron stopped holding hands and then turned to face each other. The glow of the 9:30 moonlight was now shining on them.

Kim looked deep into Ron's brown eyes and whispered to him, "I love you, Ron!"

Ron did the same thing as he gazed upon Kim's emerald eyes. "I love you, KP!" was all he could utter.

Without any further words, the two captains closed their eyes and, in front of the Mad Dog cheerleaders, students, faculty, and the 8500 fans still present in the Dog Pound, kissed each other on the lips for the first time in their lives. The kiss lasted exactly seven seconds. The seven seconds were very brief, but Kim and Ron's very first kiss had an impact on everyone in the stadium.

Monique, who witnessed this exchange of romance between Kim and Ron, was screaming with joy that her BFF now had a BF/GF relationship with the football captain. Zita, who was sitting next to Monique, took a picture of the new couple with her digital camera.

Some of the cheerleaders, including Caitlin and Bebe, whistled and cheered for their captain and her newfound love for the football star.

Bonnie raised her discarded pom-poms in the air. "Yay!! Let's go, Kim!!" she exclaimed.

Tara sniffled a bit as she fought back a tear with her pom-pom.

But, it was the Possible and Stoppable families who paid attention to Kim and Ron's kiss the most. James took out his high-powered digital camera that he just recently bought and took a picture of the exact moment that Kim and Ron touched their lips. Anne barely fought back the sniffles before she erupted into tears of joy.

"I can't believe that my Kimberly is growing up!!" Anne said before she turned her crying face into her husband's shirt. Joss patted her hand around her aunt's back.

David Stoppable took a picture of their son, now the football star, kissing Kim squarely on the lips. He wanted to treasure this important moment in his son's life.

The kiss sealed it. Ron and Kim were now officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

The only person that was not happy with Kim and Ron's pivotal moment of romance was Camille. The cat food deb had surpressed her feelings of hatred and rage. Now, as she had witnessed the kiss between Kim and Ron, she was in complete shock and disbelief. Tears started to emit from her eyes. She stormed out of the stadium, still in her purple cheering uniform. But the tears that Camille cried was not for joy, they were tears of rage, the very same type of tears that she cried at the Leon Mansion when her inheritance was taken from her.

Like any other incident that befell upon her after the cheering elections, she blamed this woe of having her chance of smacking lips with Ron on Tara.


	66. A Victory Speech of Overconfidence

As Kim and Ron finished up confirming their newly forged boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with that kiss, they gathered along with all the other football players and cheerleaders. Once again, though, Camille was missing.

_Damn that Camille, _Kim said to herself as she noticed Camille's absence. _She's missing every single prayer circle. If it weren't for Veruca's influence, she wouldn't be like this._

Josh Mankey, being one of the most spiritual players on the team, led the prayer circle with the 87 players plus Eugene, Brian, and Greg, still in their crutches. The 21 cheerleaders joined in as well. He led the brief prayer chant.

After Josh's invocation ended, the Mad Dog players raised their helmets in the air and the cheerleaders raised their golden pom-poms in the air as well. All of the students and coaches invovled repeated the Mad Dog Chant.

WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)

WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)

WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)

(BARKING AND GROWLING SOUNDS)

1....2....3..... MAD DOGS!!!!

After the Mad Dog Chant was finished, Josh then got a ring on his cell phone. After a few minutes, he put his cell away. He announced to the players and cheerleaders alike that a victory party has been set up at Bueno Nacho. They were going to open up later than their usual midnight closing because of this historical lopsided victory.

First of all, though, Mr. Berry, the Middleton PA, presented Ron with the award for the "Most All-Purpose Yards In a Single Game" engraved on a simple plaque. The reporter took the photo for the local paper.

Then, the Mad Dog players, along with the cheerleaders, went to the gym. Kim and Ron, now a couple, held their hands together as both of them made the way to the double doors. However, only Mad Dog players were allowed in the gym because they had to change and shower up in the locker room. Kim and Ron had to part hands from each other as the star tailback prepared

The Mad Dog cheerleaders, including Kim, awaited their heroes from the gym outside. Kim was still thinking about the first kiss that she had from Ron. She wants to keep it forever in her memories

Down in the Mad Dog locker room, Coach Barkin congradluated everyone on the victory.

"I'm proud that you call yourselves a Mad Dog football team. You have dominated on both offense and defense. I am especially proud of how the offensive line played. You held your ground and made very few mistakes. You should be proud of yourselves."

The Mad Dog offensive linemen cheered.

He continued his victory speech, "Tonight's victory proves that we are the toughest team in the Dog Pound! This means that we can and will beat the Tigers on our turf!"

Barkin then turned his attention to the rest of the football team "You deserve a much-needed rest in order to prepare for Game 4 on Friday night and I understand that Thanksgiving is coming up tomorrow. So how about this? In honor of Thanksgiving, we will not hold practices on Thursday. We will, however, practice on Friday morning for a couple of hours before going over game film. Then, at 5:00, all 87 of us will meet here and we are going to kick the Tigers back to Batesville on Friday night in Game 4!!" The Mad Dog players, including Ron, cheered once more. After Josh said a brief prayer in the huddle, the Mad Dogs left the locker room.

The Mad Dog players and cheerleaders left the gym, confident that they would beat the Tigers again in Game 4. Maybe a little too confident.


	67. The First Date At Bueno Nacho

As Ron departed from the gym, Kim was waiting for him. His new girlfriend was talking with Bebe when Ron pried open the double-doors. He was wearing his usual red striped shirt with his khaki pants and carried the award in his hand.

"Hey, KP, how did that kiss feel?" Ron asked as he approached Kim. She was still in her cheering uniform. The Mad Dog stickers were fading a little bit but not much.

"It actually felt like the perfect ending to the most perfect night of my life, Ron." Kim answered, "The only thing that would make this night complete would be a first date." She then looked at the clock on her cell phone. It was now 10:15. "But since the only place that is open at this time and in the clothes that we are in right now is Bueno Nacho, I guess we can stop there. I mean, that's where all the football players and the other cheerleaders are at right now. Say, why don't we do this? Why don't we ask Ned for a booth for just the two of us and we can order up one order of the Grande Nacos so that we can share them with each other?"

"Oh, KP, that's a great idea!" Ron exclaimed. He was in an excited mood about spending his very first date over at Bueno Nacho. But then, he wondered about his naked mole rat. "But what about Rufus? He's usually, like, a life member of Bueno Nacho!"

"Don't worry, Ron," Kim said with a light laugh, "We can bring Rufus to Bueno Nacho anytime, but tonight, it's going to be just you and me." She touched the bridge of Ron's nose and he giggled. Kim then added "Besides, your dad is taking care of him."

"You're right, KP! Besides this is the first time that we are in a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship." Ron said with a nervous laugh. The two then kissed each other before Bebe honked her horn from her truck. Bonnie was in the front seat.

"Hey, Kim, Ron! Want a ride to Bueno Nacho?" Bebe asked from the driver's seat. Kim and Ron opened the rear door to the backseat. They bucked in their seatbelts as Bebe drove away from the school. Kim and Ron first saw the stadium's lights turn off. Then, both their eyes gazed into the starry sky. Ron leaned his body alongside Kim's. It was the most beautiful sight that the two laid their eyes upon after beating the Tigers by 29 points.

Fifteen minutes later, the four Middleton High students arrived at Bueno Nacho at around 10:35. The place was jammed packed with some of the cheerleaders and several of the Mad Dog football players. As Kim and Ron exited Bebe's truck, they held hands with each other with confidence. Bebe drove her truck off to drop off Bonnie at her house. As they made their entrance to every cheerleader and football player that was present at Bueno Nacho cheered for the new couple.

Ned approached his two favorite customers. He addressed them in his usual nasal tone, "So, Ron, what will it be?" The general manager then heard the continuous cheered emitting from the entire restaurant.

"So I'm judging from the reaction of the crowd that something happened big to you two, huh?" Ned then asked Ron.

"Yep, Ned!" Ron responded, "Me and Kim are now boyfriend and girlfriend." Kim then turned to Ron's face and rubbed her nose against his in a cuddling manner.

Ned was at a loss of words when he heard the terms "boyfriend" and "girlfiend" in the same sentence, especially when it involved his two former co-workers. He then spotted the only empty booth in the restaurant. It was facing the full moon.

"Well, Ron," Ned said as he pointed out the lone vacant booth, "There is one booth that is romantic enough in the restaurant." He then guided the couple to the lone booth. The beams from the moon shone upon the table. It was a picturesque place for a first date.

"So, Ron, what will it be tonight?" Ned asked as if he were the waiter of a gourmet restaurant, although if people also accounted for his nasal voice.

"One order of the Grande Nacos please, with no cheese or Diablo sauce" Ron ordered Ned. He didn't want to spoil the perfect night by getting the hot Diablo Sauce all over her lips when they kiss.

Ned was stunned again. _Ron never ordered his Nacos without cheese or Diablo Sauce. Then again, he does have Kim as his girlfriend. So I think I'd better honor his request. _He returned back to normal. "Alright, one order of the Grade Nacos coming right up, minus the cheese and the Diablo Sauce.

After Ned left the couple alone, Ron and Kim looked at each other and then through the window at the moon and a few of the stars on a cloudless night.

"Isn't this a beautiful night, Ron? Not a single cloud in sight. This is definitely a night to remember." Kim said with a deep happy sigh for her new beaux.

"Yeah, KP! I agree with ya. It is one of the best nights of both our lives." He then turned back his attention to Kim. "Hey, KP, can ya check the seven-day weather forecast on your Kimmunicator?"

"Sure thing, Ron." she said as she pulled out her Kimmunicator with the KP logo. Wade appeared onscreen.

"What's up, Kim?" Wade happily said as he typed on the computer and sipped on his soda. "Any good news?"

"Yep! Guess what?" Kim exclaimed as Ron's face appeared on Wade's screen, "We are now officially boyfriend and girlfriend!"

Wade, upon hearing those words, went to the garbage can and spat out his soda, as to not ruin any of his computers with his saliva on the monitors.

"So, what do ya want me to do?" the tech genius then asked Kim and Ron.

"We need a seven-day forecast for Hattiesburg." Kim said through her Kimmunicator.

"Alright, Kim, let's see what I can pull up. According to my calculations, Hattiesburg is going to be hit with strong thunderstorms on Friday night, followed by cold rain and cloudy weather for the next five days. We are also looking at the time frame for the thunderstorms to hit the Middleton suburbs to be around, say 10 pm Friday night."

"So, Wade, let me get this straight. In other words, after we play Game 4 on Friday night, the storms are going to hit us?" the football star asked Wade. Wade gave a nod of his head. Ron wondered. "Wait a minutes, even number game, bad weather hitting us. Wait a minute!!"  
He then remembered what happened after Game 2 and said quietly as so not to dampen the mood of the crowd. "We might get blown out by South Panola, KP!"

"Ron, please, it's just a superstition. You picked up 249 yards on the ground and scored four total touchdowns against the Tigers tonight. I think with your mad running away skills, we'll run the Tigers out of Middleton back to Batesville."

"KP, you know what? I think you're right. It's just a mere suspicion, nothing more." Ron said as his confident manner returned to him.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ned returned with the sole order of Grande Nacos, with no cheese or any Diablo sauce. It had just the corn. He then put the order of Nacos on the table and left the two alone.

To make this scene even more romantic, Kim got up from the right side of the booth and sat next to Ron on the left side of the booth instead of sitting across from each other. The two then looked at the order of Grande Nacos. They were about four feet apart from each other. Like last time. Kim took a Naco from the basket and put it in Ron's mouth and Ron did the same thing with Kim. This time, the Nacos didn't break. As the two repeated this process, they got closer and closer to each other. When it got down to the last Naco, their lips to each other were separated by nine inches. Kim took the last Naco from the basket and put it in his mouth.

As Ron swallowed the Naco down, the cheerleader immediately closed her eyes and kissed Ron squarely on the lips. Ron felt the lips of Kim and closed his eyes as well. The warm feel of her lips touched Ron's mouth for 14 seconds. The restuarant was halfway empty now. Her passionate affection for Ron was interrupted when she heard the ring from her cell phone. It was her dad. She got him on the line.

_J: Hey, Kimmie-cub, how's the new boyfriend with Ron?_

_K: It's absolutely perfect, Daddy. We spent our very first date together._

_J: Really, where did y'all go? I mean it's 11:15 right now and the only full-service restuarant open at this time is ... wait a minute, let me guess, Bueno Nacho?_

K: You're right, Daddy. I mean what else can be open at this time of night? But anyways, it was romantic. The moonlight beams were shining upon us and we had the Supreme Nacos just for the two of us. And then, next thing we know, we kissed each other again.

She then heard a sniffle from her phone.

_J: Awww, my Kimmie-cub is growing up._

A blowing noise follow. Kim guessed it was tissue in her head.

_K: So, what time can you pick me up?_

J: Well, the Possible family thanksgiving is going to have the Stoppables and Rockwallers. So, I guess I can pick you up at 11:30 in the parking lot. David will pick up Ron at the same time as well.

_K: Alright, Daddy, I'll be there. _

_J: See you, Kimmie-cub!_

K: See ya, Dad!  


She hung up the cell and put it back in her handbag.

She gave Ron one final kiss for the night as the two headed out, hand in hand, to the ouside of the restaurant. Ned followed behind them and, in accordance with store policy, closed the doors to Bueno Nacho for the Thanksgiving holiday. The couple rubbed the side of their foreheads as James and David arrived in their cars. Kim hugged Ron for one last time for the night.

"Well, KP, I'll see ya at the Thanksgiving dinner." Ron said as he opened the door and went into the front seat his father's station wagon.

"See ya, Ron." Kim said as she opened the door to her dad's vehicle. She then blew a kiss on her hand and blew it towards Ron. Ron caught the imaginary kiss with his hands through the window.

The two vehicles drove off in the moonlight.

This capped the best night of Kim and Ron's lives.


	68. Dirty Little Secret

Time: 12:30am, Thursday

Place: Leon Mansion

Camille cried in her bed for the last three hours. Her pillow was taking a beating from all the tears and faded Mad Dog sticker imprints.

Her tears stirred Debutante awake.

_Dammit, I cannot believe that this had happened to me!!! My chance to go out with Ron and take advantage of him is ruined!! And it's all due to Tara!!!! ARRRGH!!! Life isn't fair!!! I wish if that blonde-haired bitch had never been born at all!!! WAAAAHHHH!!!!!_

As she pounded her fists against the walls during her royal tantrum, one of her fists accidentally pushed a brick in. Camille suddenly stopped crying as she fought away the last of her tears.

The wall then opened up to reveal a little sliding pole that leads to the underground part of the Leon Mansion.

"Damn, never noticed this before." the cat food deb said silently, "This posh mansion is, like, full of surprises!"

She slid down the sliding pole as the secret door embedded in the wall closed behind her. The pole led her, 50 feet down, to an underground lab that she had not seen before.

The underground lab was filled to the brim with test tubes, vials, and chemicals that she had seen in Middleton High's science lab and that she knew from chemistry. Then she came across chemicals that she had never heard of before or that had never been approved by the scientific community.

"Wow!! This is, like, so awesome!" Camille exclaimed.

After she walked past the tubes and chemicals, she then came across a microfilm machine. A filing drawer was next to it. It was filled with small blue boxes, no bigger than the each labeled a specific year. The first microfilm roll that Camille took out was labeled "Palmer Raids". Out of curiosity, she turned on the machine and followed the procedures to carefully insert the microfilm in. After she did that, she peered into the screen below.

She read the following headline from April 8, 1918. In bold letters the newspaper headline read:

**"DAVID LEON, AN AGENT OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNDER ATTORNEY GENERAL PALMER, ARRESTS 69 SUSPECTED LEFTIST RADICALS FOR CRITICISING THE GOVERNMENT. ALL 69 SUSPECTS FACE A MAXIMUM PRISON SENTENCE OF 20 YEARS FOR ENCOURAGING DISLOYALTY TO THE GOVERNMENT UNDER THE STRICT ORDERS OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT."**

This headline etched an image in Camille's mind.

When she put away that aged microfilm back in its case, she took out another case. It was titled "Communist Raids". She put the microfilm in and scrolled down to find any headlines that drew her interest even more.

The newspaper headline read from January 20, 1950

**"RICHARD LEON ARRESTS 18 SUSPECTED "CITIZENS" OF THE UNITED STATES FOR BEING COMMUNISTS. ALL 18 OF THESE SO-CALLED "LOYAL CITIZENS TO THE UNITED STATES" WILL STAND BEFORE THE MCCARTHY HEARINGS."**

Camille was salivating at her lips. This was more than she could chew. But the headline that changed her life the most came from March 6, 1951.

"**PROSECUTOR RICHARD LEON OF THE US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OPENS UP ROSENBERG CASE." **

Camille had heard of this case before, for she excelled in history at Middleton High the most. She heard of how Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were the only two citizens in American history that were executed for espionage, but she never knew her grandfather was involved in this. She knew that there was something going on in the Leon family tree, and it wasn't cat food.

"This is-this is .... " Camille was completely speechless. Suddenly a voice boomed in the background.

"Amazing, isn't it." the voice crept up behind Camille.

She gasped and screamed for a brief time. Then, she turned around and breathed a sigh of relief. It was Jeebs, the Leons' longtime butler. But Camille noted something different about him. Jeebs had a white coat on and a stethoscope across his neck.

"Oh, Jeebs, it's you, but what are you, like, doing here? It's like 1:30 in the morning." Camille asked her butler who was wearing the strange clothes.

"Oh, this, Mademoselle Leon? It is simple rather. By day, I am your average snotty butler, but by night, I am a doctor whose license had been revoked by the American Society of Plasic Surgeons." Jeebs answered to Camille. Then he revealed his true identity, "My full name is Dr. Gervis Jeebs Leon. I am the son of Richard Leon, your grandfather and your uncle. The reason why the ASPS banned me for life was that my experimentations with the human body were too ... radical for 'ethical' reasons." He made finger quotes in the air when he said ethical.

"Well, that explains the white coat. But how do you, like, explain all of these microfilms?" Camille asked, still in a confused state of what was going on here.

He then explained the part of the microfilms to Camille:

"In 1917, after communism took over the Soviet Union, the American government needed a family that had been feverently loyal to this country. Among all the families at the time, they chose us, the Leons, to be the forefront of the anti-communist movement of the first Red Scare. That's why your great-grandfather, David Leon, prosecuted leftist radicals who were perceived as threats to the country. And the 1950-51 microfilm that you had just read was your grandfather, Richard Leon, who prosecuted all the communists during the second Red Scare and, yes, he was the prosecutor during the Rosenberg Case. In return, we proved our zeal for our country by opposing what the radicals thought and displaying our American flag outside the Leon Mansion. The very labs that you are standing in right now had been here since the Second World War. We just simply renovated them at the start of the millenium."

Dr. Leon continuted on with his story: "Yes, we served our country well through both World Wars and halfway through the Cold War. We supported almost the entireity of the Vietnam War. As a result, we were rewarded handsomely by our very own government." He then changed his tone "Unfortunately, all good things came to an end when those stupid leftist police force in Washington DC arrested a couple of members of CREEP and a member of the Leon family at Watergate. Soon enough, the bottom fell out not only on President Nixon but also on the Leon family as well. Our unquestioned support for the federal government became highly suspicious after that. The Leon family began to die out as well because they had one fatal flaw that has gone on in both genders of the family tree: they tended to blame innocent civilians for crimes they did not committ. Of course, those were different times back then."

"So like, what happened after Watergate?" Camille wanted to know more about her family history.

"After Watergate, we tried to use that one fatal flaw of framing innocent people to our advantage in the criminal world, but so far, it resulted in more of the Leon family being imprisoned themselves. After the first Bush came into office, we decided to go legit and become involved in the cat food business." Dr. Leon explained, "The lab fell into disrepair for the next 10 years but, after 9/11, it all changed. The lab has been significantly renovated and, thanks to the use of better technology, we are back in business. Still though, we have been unable to tamper with the criminal business. The surgical technology that we had before 9/11 had severe limitations."

"Surgical?" Camille asked.

"Yes, before 9/11 we had been trying to dabble into plastic surgery, but, again, due to the limitations of the surgical technology, my work couldn't be accomplished. Then, in 2006, I made a major breakthrough called shapeshifting plastic surgery in which people could change their physical bodies into any person they want to, including celebrities. The ASPS was outraged at my work, so they revoked my license and, since then, I have been down here. I have sucessfully tested the shapeshifting surgery on animals, but not on real live human beings."

Then, Dr. Leon touched his niece's soft skin. "Ooohh!! Such perfect skin!"

He then analyzed Camille's facial features and exclaimed, "Yes!! You, my niece, are the perfect candidate for the shapeshifting surgery!"

"Wait a minute, Jee- I mean, Uncle Gervis, do my parents know about this?" Camille wanted to know if this was all right.

"Know about this?" Dr. Leon gave an evil chuckle. "My darling, your parents do not know that this lab even exists beneath their feet." The chuckle then transformed into an evil laugh.

The evil laugh then subsided.

Camille was still a little bit stunned but she was more interested in being involved in this shapeshifting plastic surgery. "So, what do I do for this?"

Dr. Leon explained the procedure. "Well, for the next three hours, you will be anesthized. Then, I will inject your body with chemicals for the next three hours, legal and otherwise. That way, the chemicals can remake your genetic code, giving you the ability to change your physical shape into any of the 6 billion human beings on this planet. You might feel a little sting within your body but that's all"

The ability of changing into any other person in the world raised Camille's interest in the surgery. "When can I do this?"

"Why, right now, my dear. Me and my team of surgeons will be more than happy to inject you with the chemicals." Dr. Leon gleefully smiled. "Your parents don't know that they exist as well. Heh! Heh! Heh!"

Dr. Leon then showed the deb to a surgical table with the combination of chemicals that would give her the ability to change into any person that she wanted.

Camille was still in her cheer uniform when her bare midriff touched the steel slab of a table. Her long blonde hair absorbed

So, at 2:00 am, the surgery began. Camille succumbed to the gas. She was instantly knocked out for the next three hours. Dr. Leon and his surgeons inserted the tubes into Camille's face, hands, and feet.

Three hours went past ...

At around 5, Camille's blue eyes stirred awake. She looked around and felt like the same old, spoiled, 17-year old senior cheerleader that she was.

"Well, Dr. Leon, did it work?" Camille asked in a tired manner.

"See for yourself! Try to think of the person that you want to copy, and then, the shapeshifting chemicals will do the rest." Dr. Leon said.

Camille then thought of the very first person that came to her mind: Tara Queen. In an instant, her physical body was transformed into an exact replica of Tara, right down to the trademark platinum-blonde hair.

Now that she has take the form of her target, she immediately jumped for joy. The radical shapeshifting surgery that Dr. Leon initiated was a huge success. Camille then transformed her body back to her old self.

Dr. Leon then sent the deb on her way up the elevator back to her room. As she set foot in her room again, the hidden elevator closed behind her, leaving nothing but the appearance of a plain wall.

As she immediately went back to sleep, she was in a happier mood now than six hours before.

Camille, in her sleep, understood the dirty little secret of the Leon family. Now that she had the ability to shape-shift, she hatched the seeds to the perfect plan to ruin Tara's life forever in her mind.


	69. Possible Thanksgiving Preparations

Time: 11:55 pm

Place: Possible Residence

Anne was baking two Thanksgiving turkeys that she bought earlier in the day in the large spacious oven for the big day tomorrow. She kept a watchful eye on them to make sure that they don't overcook.

The doctor then heard a knock on the door. It was her husband and her daughter, who just had her first date with the star tailback.

"Kimberly, I'm so glad that your first date with Ron went well. The turkeys are cooking in the ovens. They won't be ready until tomorrow night. So, Kimberly, I hope that you get a good night's sleep because we're going to have one big Thanksgiving tomorrow." Anne said quietly because John was sleeping on the couch.

"OK, Mom, I'll see ya in the morning! I love you, Mom!" Kim said as she gave her mom a good night kiss. She gave her dad a good night kiss as well as she headed up to her room. She then put on her pajamas. Kim then took out her harmonica and played it as usual. John, of couse, had earplugs stuck in his ears as to not allow the instrument to disturb his sleep. Kim then put her favorite harmonica back on her nightstand and turned off the light.

She immediately closed her emerald eyes and dozed off to sleep

Time: 7:00am, Thursday

The starry night gave way to a cloudy and windy Thursday morning.

As Kim rubbed open her eyes, she stretched her body. she went downstairs. She cannot wait for the showing of the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade". John was already up and alert and so were the Tweebs. James and Anne followed behind. Both spouses were rubbing their eyes and yawning.

The TV turned on and the parade came on. All the baloons were floating through the air in crystal-clear high definition.

This was the very first time that John saw the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Normally, he would go to his aunt's house for Thanksgiving.

After the Possibles and John finished up breakfast, they got a phone call around 9:30. It was from Nana Possible, who was approaching Hattiesburg all the way from Florida. James picked up the phone.

_J: Hey, Mom!_

_N: Hey, son, how are ya doing? I'm going to come up to Hattiesburg in an hour. _

_J: OK, Mom. The whole family is doing fine. Slim and Joss are here in town. They are going to come around the house at 2:00. The Thanksgiving dinner will start at 7:00. The Stoppables and Rockwallers will come over here as well, so we're baking two turkeys._

_N: Sounds good, son. _

_J: Besides, Mom, I have a surprise for you and it involves our daughter._

_N: Oooh! I can't wait, son. I'll see you at the house at 10:30._

_J: See you, Mom!_

_N: Bye, son!_

Then, an hour later, Nana arrived at the house with the ingredients to make her world-famous lemon squares. James was the first to hug his mother followed by Anne. Kim was reading _Wuthering Heights _when Nana opened the door. She huged her as well, and so did the Tweebs.

"Who's this young man?" Nana asked as she turned her gaze upon John.

"Oh, him? That's John, the statistician for the Mad Dogs football team who's working alongside Felix Renton." Kim answered to Nana. She then asked her grandma "You know, Felix, right?"

"Felix? Yes, dear. I do remember Felix. He was such a nice man. Oh, isn't Game 4 tomorrow night, dear?" Nana said with adoration for Felix. He showed nice manners to Nana and wondered if John had those same traits.

"Yep, Grandma! Guess what happened to me a couple of days ago? I became the cheerleading captain!" Kim could barely contain her excitement for the first piece of good news to Nana. She hid the second piece of good news for last.

Nana then turned her attention back to James. "Where can I put the ingredients to make my famous lemon squares?" she asked.

Anne turned to an empty spot on the kitchen counter. "Right here, Mom." Anne said, pointing to that empty spot.

After a couple of hours, Anne announced that everyone should grab what they could for lunch because the big dinner, the two turkeys, were still in the large oven.

Kim then called her boyfriend on her cell at 1:00.

_R: Hey, KP! What's up?_

K: Hey, Ron! What time are you going to be here?

R: Well, considering that Thanksgiving dinner doesn't start until 7, I guess I can come on over at 3.

_K: OK, Ron, I'll see ya at 3._

_R: See ya, KP!_

Slim and Joss arrived at the house at 2:00. At that time, everyone was watching the Thanksgiving game, witnessing the Lions getting obliterated, as usual, by the Cowboys.

"Howdy, partners. Where's the turkey?" Slim asked as he walked through the door. He hugged his younger brother.

"Well, Slim, the turkey will be ready in a couple of hours. The Stoppables are coming to the house at 3:00 and the Rockwallers are coming over at 5:00. Ronald just call me up and said that Felix would be coming along later on this evening at 6. The dinner will begin at 7." James discussed his master plan for Thanksgiving dinner to Slim.

Joss, meanwhile, went in to the living room and sat next to John. She was still dressed in a smaller version of Kim's mission attire. She decided to kill time by looking at John's stats. "So, John, how many yards does Ron have rushing so far?" she asked about Ron's stats.

"Well, Joss, so far, Ron leads all runners with 418 yards and four touchdowns in the first three games." John responded.

"Dang, that's a lotta yards!" Joss exclaimed.

"Yeah, but South Panola has the tougher defense, so Game 4 will test his abilities to the limit." John said as he continued to go through his wad of stat papers.

"Well, I know in my faith that Ron will beat them Tigers with his mad running skills," Joss said as she left the living room into the kitchen.

At 3:00, Ron arrived with his parents at the Possible household.

When Ron came through that door, Kim immediately hugged Ron and briefly kissed him on the lips, in front of Nana.

"Well, now you've seen, Kim and Ron are now girlfriend and boyfriend." James explained to Nana this meaning of affection. Nana had a tear in her eye and sighed, _My grandchild is growing up so fast._

Kim and Ron embraced each other as they laid down on the couch. Both of them fell asleep next to each other on the cushions.

The Rockwallers then arrived at the Possible house at 5:00. Bonnie came in with her mom, Wanda, and her sisters, Connie and Lonnie. The wind was blowing a little bit and it was getting a bit nippy outside so they had to wear their light jackets.

"K! What's up!!" Bonnie exclaimed as she walked through the door. Kim woke up from her love nap with Ron. Ron was also jarred awake as well. The two friends then hugged each other.

"B! You're just in time. Turkey's going to be ready in about 30 minutes!" Kim exclaimed as she turned her eyes to the two turkeys in the oven.

"Yeah, Bonnie, we've saved a special place for you." Ron said as he pointed the end of the main table.

Bonnie then looked at her rumbling stomach and groaned. "Ohhhh, man! I'm so hungry, K! I can't wait for the turkey!"

Wanda then replied, "Well then, Bon-Bon, you shouldn't have skipped lunch."

Bonnie sighed and then pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mom, please, I don't like to be called Bon-Bon. It sounds so .... babyish!"

Connie and Lonnie then slapped their hands across their foreheads at their mother's behavior toward Bonnie.

Mr. and Mrs. Renton then dropped their son off at the Possibles' at 6:00. Felix then drove his power wheelchair up to the front door. James then activated a button on the front door that made a metallic wheelchair ramp for easy accessibility to the house for Felix. Felix got his wheelchair on the ramp and went through the door. By that time, the turkeys were ready to be eaten.

Thanksgiving at the Possibles had just begun.


	70. A Peaceful Possible Thanksgiving

Time: 7:00pm

Place: Possible Residence.

Anne and James Possible brought the two 25-pound turkeys to the main table. Sitting on the left side were, in order: David, Cecillia, Connie, John, Lonnie, and Wanda. Sitting on the right side was, in order: Ron, Kim, Bonnie, Slim, Felix, and Nana. On the two opposite ends were James and Anne.

The Tweebs and Joss were sitting at the separate "kiddie table" in the patio, so as not to disturb the conversation.

Before the food could be eaten, though, James first said the blessing of the food. Almost the whole company joined in, except for David, Cecillia, and Ron. They said the Jewish blessing of their own. James respects that to a huge extent. He even allowed Cecillia to bring in kosher meals for her family as well for this Thanksgiving.

After the blessing, all 14 people at the main table began to dive into the Thanksgiving feast. Anne used the power carver to carve up the Thanksgiving turkey.

Rufus, who came with David, enjoyed his leftover Nacos from Game 3 as his primary Thanksgiving feast.

Even though the carving of the turkey was just the icing on the cake, the conversations with family were the real meat of what Thanksgiving was all about.

Connie Rockwaller and Lonnie Rockwaller, who were both seniors at USM, were conversing with John and Felix over their experiences as co-statisticians. The two sisters of Bonnie met John about 40 minutes earlier.

"So, how long have you been interested in stats?" Connie asked John.

"Well, I've been drawn to football stats ever since I was in the fourth grade." John answered in a polite matter.

Felix added, "Yeah, he's a real whiz at football! He especially knows the Super Bowl."

Lonnie decided to test him, "Who won Super Bowl 12?"

John thought about this in his head, "It's easy, the Cowboys defeated the Broncos 27-10. The Broncos had a Super-Bowl low 35 passing yards."

All this knowledge amazed both Connie and Lonnie. Lonnie remarked. "Wow, you must be smart huh? And you must have a lot of friends as well."

"Yep, Lonnie, I'm quite intelligent, but I miss my friends more. It's been a couple of years since I've last seen them." John then gave a deep sigh. He hadn't seen them since graduation. He took a long-hard stare at his already emptied plate. He had ate every sincle scrap off the piece of ceramic.

"So, who does the stat duties, Felix?" Connie asked the primary Mad Dog statistician.

"Well, Connie, I do the defensive stats and John is more of the statistician who does the offense. We split the duties during the first three games." Felix said as he looked at the oyster patty filling a little bit funny. John had the oyster filling before. He enjoyed it before.

"So, according to the stats, Felix, who do ya think will win Game 4?" Lonnie asked another question before Felix.

"Well, Lonnie, according to the numbers we had in Game 3 last night, I believe we are going to win Game 4 by a close margin, though." Felix answered honestly.

However, of all the conversations that the adults (and kids) had at the table, none drew their attention more than the new boyfriend/girlfriend couple of Kim and Ron.

Connie was excited over the news. "Wow, Kim and Ron, I so can't believe that you are now, like, the hottest couple around Middleton High! Both the cheerleading captain and the football captain dating each other is, like, the icing on the cake!" She was a former Mad Dog cheerleader along with Lonnie.

Kim and Ron, meanwhile, had already finished up their dinner. They were both holding their hands and rubbing their foreheads to pass the time for their favorite part of the meal, dessert, especially when Nana's lemon squares are involved.

James, finishing up the rest of his turkey, agreed with Connie. "Yes, Connie, Kim and Ron were meant for each other, just like the day they first met at Pre-K."

Nana's lemon squares were ready. As the other parents and kids were finishing off the lemon squares, Kim and Ron took the last lemon square from the plate. They both held it in their hand and, just like the romantic night that they had at Bueno Nacho, they started to nibble on the lemon square. Their lips got closer to each other and, as soon as the little crumble of the lemon square disappeared, they closed their eyes and kissed each other on the lips. A round of applause was given from everyone on the main table and the kiddie table at the sight of this display of affection in front of the most important critics of a relationship, family.

Wanda Rockwaller grabbed her favorite hanky and patted it on her tearful eyes. Slim tipped his cowboy hat off to the new BF/GF couple, wishing them the best of hopes.

Lonnie, who was an expert in relationships, had this comment for the new couple, "I can see, according the strong relationship that you two have with each other and the course that you are on right right now, that you will go really far in life together."

Bonnie gasped at Lonnie and hugged her big sister. Tears of happiness were falling down her eyes. "Lonnie, that was ... the most amazing and most useful piece of advice that you can give to my best friend and her new BF. I'm so glad that you're my sister." The sobbing tears continued to fall onto her perfectly tanned skin.

"Mr. Possible, may I be excused from the table. I need to go outside for a ... breath of fresh air!" Bonnie said to Kim's dad. She was clearly about to bawl.

"Sure thing, Bonnie." James said in a stunned sense over why Bonnie would be crying.

Bonnie stormed out the door and echoes of her sobbing tears can be heard from the kitchen door.

Rufus was scratching his head, "Bonnie?" Even he was confused over Bonnie's feelings

Connie, Lonnie, Ron, and Kim opened the door and looked at Bonnie below them. The co-captain cheerleader was sobbing to her heart's content.

"B? What's wrong?" Kim asked as she tried to cheer up her best friend.

"The advice Lonnie gave you" Bonnie stuttered as she tried to fight back her tears, "reminded me of all my failed relationships of finding the right man to have as a boyfriend WAAHH!!"

"Don't worry, Bonnie," Ron said, "You'll find that perfect guy for a good boyfriend." This comforted her a little bit but the tears still continued to fall.

"Thanks, Ron," Bonnie responded as she blew through a Kleenex Connie gave her. "But, how can I find the perfect man?"

"It's just like what Sharpay said, B: You gotta look deep down in your heart and see if he is right man for you. That's what I did with Ron at the game and, hopefully, you'll do the same thing as well, B." Kim said as the advice from Sharpay helped Bonnie dry up her tears.

"Oh, thanks, K! I'll try out Sharpay's advice and see if i can find the right BF for me." Bonnie closed her eyes and hugged Kim. Wanda came out of the front door and motioned to the Rockwaller girls that they were leaving. "Well, I gotta leave. We have a big Game 4 tomorrow, but I'll see ya at Club Banana earlier Friday morning because of ...."

"BLACK FRIDAY!!!" Both cheerleaders screeched in an excited manner.

"The best discounts ever at Club Banana!!!" Bonnie exclaimed, for she knew that Black Friday was the biggest shopping holiday before Christmas, especially at Club Banana where everything was half off from 4am-noon.

"I am so going to see ya at Club Banana at 4:00 in the morning, K!" Bonnie waved goodbye to Kim as the Rockwallers got in the van. Wanda drove the van out the Possibles' parking lot.

"You too, B!" Kim waved back at her.

She then turned to her boyfriend.

"Hey, Ron, wanna go for a walk around the block? Kim asked as she looked at the pitch black sky. It was still starry outside but it was interrupted by a few clouds and it was getting a little windy outside.

"Sure thing, KP!" Ron said excitedly as Rufus came along with him in his pants pocket. His head popped out to take in the fresh late-November air.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going out for a walk with Ron for about 30. I'll be back!" Kim shouted back in the house.

"Ok, Kimmie-cub! Don't stay out for too late!" James called back.

"I won't!" Kim promised to her dad.

As they walked along the sidewalk, the couple were holding hands in the dark night illuminated only by the combination of the blue and orange glow of the lamp-posts. The wind was blowing around Kim's red hair as if it were a raging wildfire.

"Wow, KP, the wind's blowing around here!" Ron exclaimed. "Must be that storm system that Wade spoke about last night."

"Yeah Ron, but he said that the storm system will be around at the end of Game 4 tomorrow night, so we'll be able to complete the game before the system arrives." Kim said with a laugh.

"Speaking of Game 4, KP, I wonder how many rushing yards I would pick up when we win tomorrow night against South Panola." Ron said as he changed topics from the weather to football.

"Hmm, Ron. I guess it would be around in the high-200s and I predict that you would score four touchdowns against the Tigers." Kim said with a guess over the top of her head.

"And," Ron continued as he drew his body closer to Kim, "I'm gonna have the most beautiful red-haired cheerleader and girlfriend of all standing by my side, cheering on the sidelines."

"Oh, Ron, I love you more than ever!!" Kim exclaim as both of the couple closed their eyes and kissed each other on the lips.

After that romantic moment, Kim and Ron returned to the Possible household. Cecillia and David were waiting for their son.

"Ronnie, we have to go home!" Cecillia called out.

"OK, Mom, I'm on my way!" Ron called back to his mom. Turning to Kim, he gave her a good-night kiss and went to his parents. As the car drove off into the distance, Kim went back to the house.

"So, how was the walk?" James asked his Kimmie-cub.

"It was fine, Daddy. We talked about the weather and football." Kim told her dad.

"Good, Kimmie. Say, your mom wanted to go to Club Banana for Black Friday, huh?" James then asked.

"Mom? Really?" Kim was now stunned. Her mom normally went alone when shopping on Black Friday.

"Yeah, she wants to arrive there early for Christmas shopping. She's gonna be a part of the rush." James said with a laugh.

Kim laughed with her dad as well. She went upstairs to get ready for bed as she saw that the Tweebs were fast asleep.

After getting ready for bed, she opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out her harmonica. She played on it for the next 10 minutes before dozing off to sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day for her between shopping and cheerleading.


	71. Black Friday at Club Banana

Time: 3:30am, Friday

Place: Possible Residence.

Kim was still snoring loudly when Anne shook her body awake.

"Kimberly? Kimberly? Wake up!" Anne demanded quietly as she was still clad in her pajamas and running shoes.

Kim, also in her pajamas, rubbed her emerald eyes and yawned. "What is it, Mom? It's 3:30 in the morning." Then, the thought occured to her.

"Oh, great. Today's Black Friday, I almost forgot," She whispered to her mom, as to not disturb James, the Tweebs, and John, who were all still asleep.

"Get ready, Kimberly! We are going to shop at Club Banana until we drop!" Anne exclaimed with a quiet excitement.

Kim put on her tennis shoes as the two Possible women creeped quietly down the stairs. They made sure not to disturb John.

Both Kim and Anne got into the car. The two drove through the pitch-black night. There were only a few vehicles here or there driving around. But when they got to Club Banana at 4:00, which was in Turtle Creek Mall, it was jammed-packed with around 300 people. It wasn't like last year when 600 people showed up. This was due to the faltering economy.

When Kim and Anne strugged through the crowd to reach the store's entrance, they met up with Wanda and the Rockwaller daughters.

"K! What's up!" Bonnie exclaimed as she saw the sight of Kim. She was in her white polka-dot pajamas, shopping cart in hand.

"So, B, are ya ready to shop?" Kim asked Bonnie, whose normally straight short brown hair was messed up.

"I am more than ready, K!" Bonnie excitedly replied. She gripped her hands on the Club Banana shopping cart. Both of the girls can't wait to soak in the deals. Yet, time wasn't on their side. At 10:00am, they have to begin their cheer practice for tonight's Game 4.

"So, switching topics to cheering. Ready for tonight's Game 4, B?" Kim asked.

Bonnie pumped her fist in the air and acted as if she was Ron. "Boo-yah, K! I am more than pumped up for Game 4! I have a feeling that we'll win!"

Kim agreed, "Yeah, the way that we played in Game 3 was totally awesome! We'll run the Tigers back to Batesville soon enough!"

Then, at 5:00, the doors to the store were unlocked. People poured into the store as if it were an insane asylum. They were sucked in with all the deals and discounts Club Banana had to offer.

Monique, who worked there, was overwhelmed with all the people at the checkout. Every article of clothing was flying off the shelves. However, the crowds, unlike previous years, dissipated pretty quickly.

While taken in with all the deals, Kim spotted a certain pair of designer blue capris that she always wanted. The bad thing was that it cost around $150. Now it was just half-off: $75.

"Please, Mom, can I have these capris?" Kim asked as she held up the pair of capris to her mom's presence.

Anne protested this purchase, "Kimberly, you already have five pairs of the same for school. I'm not going to add a sixth pair to your closet!"

"Preeety please, Mom?" Kim pleased with Anne by giving her trademark "puppy-dog pout" whenever she wanted certain items in her life.

"Oh, hell, no, not the puppy-dog pout again!" Anne sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She cannot bear that look from Kim. After five minutes of that look, Anne finally gave in. "All right, Kimberly, you win. You can buy the capris but you're paying half of it with your allowance."

"Oh, thank you, Mom!" Kim exclaimed as she kissed Anne on the cheek.

After their experiences at Club Banana, Wanda and Anne dropped off their two daughters at cheer practice at 10:00.


	72. Separate Practices

Time: 9:00am, Friday

Setting: Middleton High Stadium

The sky Friday morning was covered with grey clouds everywhere.

"Alright, Dogs, you had your fill of the Thanksgiving Day turkey. Hopefully the trythophane has worn off its sleepy effects. We are going to practice for an hour and a half and then look at the game film from Wednesday and see what we need to improve on. Let's break!" Coach Barkin explained today's practice to his team. Tonight was also the all-important Game 4.

All the Mad Dog players broke off from the main huddle to their usual drills. Ron was in his usual drill of the running game. He continuously ran the proper drills without any problems. Two things dominated the star tailback's mind: tonight's game and his girlfriend cheering him on from the sidelines.

As Ron weaved through the defense he briefly glanced over to the home side of Middleton High Stadium. He could picture in his head 9,000 Mad Dog Nation fans chanting his nickname "Unstoppable" while his girlfriend, Kim Possible, the cheer captain, waving her golden pom-poms in the air, saying "Go, Unstoppable! Go, Unstoppable!"

The purple jersey of number 7 continued to weave through the defense for the next half-hour before switching to the secondary. He then \did the usual drills along with Vince, Token, and Lee. Eugene, Greg, and Brian all watched from the sidelines.

After the hour and a half hour practice ended, the 87 Mad Dogs gathered in the Media Room to watch their seemingly dominant performance in Game 3 over the Tigers. Coach Barkin and his assistant coaches looked at the film. After the film session ended, Barkin gave his review:

_Listen up, Mad Dogs, I loved what I saw in Game 3. If this were a test, I'd give it an A. I believe that we can repeat the same performance tonight in Game 4. All we have to make is a few adjustments to our defense and we'll be fine. However, the Tigers will not take you lightly, so be prepared for anything._

At 1:30, the Mad Dog players broke practice and prepared for the pep-rally for Game 4. It was to be scheduled at 3:00pm at the practice field.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Time: 12:00pm, Friday

Setting: Middleton High Gym.

All 22 Middleton High Cheerleaders gathered in the gym to prepare for the upcoming pep-rally for Game 4.

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N_

_Let's go Mad Dogs! Let's Win!_

The Mad Dogs are hot!

The Tigers are not!

Let's hear it again!

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N_

_Let's go Mad Dogs! Let's Win!_

_Hit 'em to the left! Hit 'em to the right!_

The Mad Dogs will win Game 4 tonight!

Kim concluded the routine with a 15-foot somersault in the air over the six-woman pyramid and landed flawlessly on the cheering mat.

The cheerleading squad has gotten in much better shape since Kim took over the reins as cheer captain a few days ago. The Mad Dog cheerleaders hadn't suffered any bruises or broken bones and school spirit within the girls was at an all-time high. Libby enjoyed being the Mad Dog Mascot so far, and she has done a pretty good job, for a sophomore. The banana cream and growling noises became commonplace again.

The cheering squad was also more united than ever before.

Even London has grown more aligned to Kim's side. Under the iron arm of Veruca, she wasn't happy as a co-captain for the former deb. The reason why she became a part of Veruca's gang was because Camille forced her to. Not even London was immune to Veruca's dictatorial nature and Camille's manipulative personality. For example, when Bonnie suffered the injured leg on Veruca's perilous pyramids, London tried to help Bonnie by giving her an ice pack on the leg. The spoiled cheerleading captain, in her usual cold-blooded nature, wanted London to leave Bonnie alone for she was a "mere casualty". London refused and kept the ice pack on Bonnie's leg. Then Veruca threatened London by wanting to have her co-captain position removed permanately. London had one of two choices: take care of Bonnie or retain her co-captain position. Camille manipulated with London by mouthing the words "Co-captain position". Under the manipulative control of Camille, a bad mask of London took over the good side of London and abandoned Bonnie. For this reason, she became hated by everyone prior to the cheering elections. Even though she cast her vote for Camille in the first place, cracks in the bad mask began to appear. It seemed that after London tried to comfort Camille outside of the gym, the two started to have a very heated exchange of words with each other which was started by Camille. Camille, through her royal tantrum and anger, called London a "dirty slut who should kill herself the first chance she got" and gave her the finger. This outburst by Camille finally broke the bad mask that London wore for almost all her life and finally brought her good side to the surface. London immediately severed all ties to Camille. Because of her outburst, she tore up all pictures that had Camille's image on them and Veruca's on them. She burned the remains of the photos in the fireplace.

She was now more open to converse with other cheerleaders underneath Kim's captainship than from Veruca's.

London began to mend friendships along Kim's friends and apologized to Tara and Caitlin for what happened during the Sunday Night Swirlies. Being good Christians, Tara and Caitlin forgave London for her trangressions against them.

She even began to make amends to Bonnie. Bonnie forgave her as well and they immediately became friends.

"OK, girls, that was a great routine! Let's take 5!" Kim said to the other cheerleaders as they stretched from two hours of routines.

Camille stretched her 98-pound frame and took a sip of water from her bottle. Neither she nor London spoke to each other again. Camille's only friends were now Sandi and Carm, the two strongest cheerleaders on the squad.

She gave the facade of a happy cheerleader so that she could execute her plan. She plans to sneak out after halftime and, under the power of her new shape-shifting surgery, plan to strike Tara where she is vulnerable the most at.

_Ooohhh! Getting that shape-shifting surgery has been, like, sweet! _Camille said to herself. She then gave herself a warning, _But I must not reveal this at all to Kim or to the other cheerleaders. If I do, my cover is blown and I would be ruined even further. Kim must not know my plans or intentions at all. _

After the break was over, the cheerleaders continued their routines for the next hour.

Suddenly, at 1:30, Camille started to get the sniffles. Then, ten minutes later, her sniffles turned into a neverending runny nose and a hard case of the common cold. She was beginning to suffer from the side effects of the shapeshifting procedure: fast-developing flu-like symptoms. Dr. Leon neglected to tell her that a couple of the chemicals that he used on the deb to change the all-important skin tone were used on humans when they developed flu-like symptoms. Luckily for her, this strand of the flu was not contagious to humans. Still, Bonnie and the other cheerleaders stayed away from her and didn't touch her, not because that she was an arrogant spoiled brat, but because she apparently had the flu.

"Kim, I think I'm coming down with the flu!" Camille exclaimed from a distance.

Kim noticed it immediately and, mistaking it for the actual flu, came to Camille's aid. Camille was coughing heavily.

"Camille, I think you need to get some medical help. We don't want to have our cheerleaders sick for the Game 4. Why don't you get some rest over at your house and, before you know it, you'll be back to normal."

Camille said with a false sincerity, "Thank you, Kim!"

Camille went to Mrs. Johnson's office and told her of her illness. Mrs. Johnson agreed to give her a couple days of bed rest.

She proceeded to walk out of the gym and she drove out in her convertible. The deb, although she was sick, laughed at this. _Kim was, like, a stupid fool to know that my symptoms came from the flu. First of all though, I must go to Smarty-Mart which is north on 49 and buy myself some Tamaflu. Then, I must talk to Dr. Leon about this._

Then, at 2:30, as the cheerleaders prepared to go to the pep rally outside, they heard the roaring engines of the two charter buses carrying the Tigers football team to the fieldhouse.

As she looked at the bus, she got a brief glance of the Tiger players from the charter bus. She can tell that from their looks that they were not the same Tigers that they defeated in Game 3.


	73. Pre Game 4

Time: 2:45pm, Friday

Place: Middleton Fieldhouse.

The Tigers were determined not to lose again to the Mad Dogs like the way they did in Game 3. As the Mad Dogs' opponents entered the fieldhouse, Coach Woods instructed the players to ignore the Mad Dog crowd noise and concentrate on football. The Tigers agreed. South Panola hasn't been in this hostile of an environment before. But, now, they were more than ready to silence the entire Mad Dog Nation tonight.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________-

Place: Middleton High Practice Field

As the pep rally neared, the only Mad Dog cheerleader not present was Camille, for medical reasons. The other 20 cheerleaders plus the Mad Dog mascot gathered upon the stage. About 1800 fans gathered for this pep rally. They expected their Mad Dogs, with Unstoppable performing the way that he did in Game 3, would take a 3-1 lead in the series and win it all in Game 5. Not even a cloudy grey day can spoil their fun.

The Mad Dog Mascot, as usual, foamed at the mouth with banana cream spewing out everywhere. The cheerleaders greeted their Mad Dog heroes through the tunnel as the fight song blared out from the marching band.

The flags were furling in the late-November breeze. As the players, in their normal clothes and in their home royal purple football jerseys, assumed their positions on the right side of the field, the Mad Dog Cheerleaders led the way with a chant:

_Hit 'em to the left, Hit 'em to the right!_

Mad Dogs are gonna win tonight!

Who we are (MAD DOGS)

We will chant M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N

_  
Let's go Mad Dogs, let's win!_

_GO, MAD DOGS!_

GO, GO, MAD DOGS!!

Kim initiated her Penta-Twister twice throughout the pep rally, as well as a variety of cheer moves no normal cheerleader has ever done before. Bonnie also performed a variety of moves through her experiences with ballet. Once again, the Mad Dogs fans were impressed and prepared to take out all this noise on the Tigers.

Mr. Oswalt then announced the Mad Dog Player of the Game for Game 3.

"And with 362 all-purpose yards, including 249 yards on the ground, and three rushing touchdowns plus one on the receiving end, give it up, once again, for number 7, Ron Stoppable!"

Once again, Ron added the award to his collection and the local paper took a picture of him. He waved back to the loyal supporters of Mad Dog football. Cecillia and David clapped and cheered loudly for their proud son. But he saved his biggest applause from Kim, who waved him back with her left pom-pom.

Ron then took the mic and pumped up the crowd, cheerleaders, and Mad Dog players even more:

"We are gonna go marching into The Dog Pound! We will take the field! And for 48 minutes, we are going to kick South Panola from here back to Batesville!! BOO-YAH!!!!!!" He pumped his fist up in the air, left the stage, and sat in the cool grass of the right side of the practice field with the other players

As the band concluded, Mad Dog Nation was more than ready to beat South Panola in Game 4.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 3:30pm

Place: Leon Mansion, Underground Lab

"Dr. Leon, can you give me, like, something for these flu-like systems THAT YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT?!?!" Camille raised her voice to Dr. Leon, addressing her about the issue of her flu-like symptoms that were, , in actuality, mild and not contagious.

"Oh, yes, you rushed out on me when I was about to mention the mild flu-like symptoms. Yes, the surgery does present those ... complications ... but, like I said, they are only mild and temporary and can be cured by any cold medicine. Your cold will dissipate in a couple of hours. You'll be on your way to the game and, hopefully, execute any evil plans that you have in your mind." Dr. Leon said with his trademark villainous sneer.

"Oh, thank you, Dr. Leon! You're such a big help to me! I'll, like, take these Tamaflu and be on my way to the game." Camille hugged Dr. Leon and gave an evil laugh as well before she returned to the hidden elevator that led to her room. The secert wall closed behind her and she returned to bed. Dr. Leon also came up as well, but in his butler "Jeebs" persona as to fool Camille's elders. He had a set of basic medical tools with him.

Mr. Leon came into her room! He had a concerned look on his face. "Oh, Camille, do you have the flu? Oh, please, Dr. Jeebs give us the news!!" The Leons knew that Jeebs was a doctor, and a good one too, but did not know the true nature of his work.

"Mademoselle Leon is fine. She may have a cough or two, but nothing of the flu-type. A couple of pills ought to do it. She is ready to cheerlead tonight's game."

"Please, Daddy, please can I cheerlead at the game. I have no flu symptoms, because the doctor said so." Camille pleaded with her father.

"Oh, all right, Camille, you may cheerlead at the stadium. But if you develop any flu symptoms again, you're coming straight home! Deal?" Mr. Leon said, knowing that he wanted to give his embattled daughter a second chance after she insulted them a couple of days ago and the mess that resulted from it.

"Deal, Daddy!" Camille hugged and made up with her dad as she kissed him across the cheeks. She did the same thing to her mom as well. Mrs. Leon was relieved that her daughter didn't suffer from the flu.

"I want you to be back by midnight, OK!" Mrs. Leon instructed to her daughter.

"OK, Mumsy, be back at Leon Mansion by 12. I got ya!" Camille obeyed her mother.

Little did the Leon parents know that they just gave their spoiled daugher a one-way ticket to initiating her grand plan against Tara.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 5:40pm

Place: Middleton High Stadium

Kim was ready for Game 4. Her golden pom-poms were in both her hands, ready to pump up the crowd. Examples of her support for the Mad Dogs was everywhere on her body. The "C" patch etched on her skirt denoted her as the all-important captain who has brought major changes and hope to this team when they were down. The red-purple-gold bow that held her fiery red hair in a ponytail symbolized her undying support for the Mad Dogs.

She especially wore the "GO" and "MAD DOGS" temporary tatoos on both her cheeks to symbolize the love that she had for the school.

The other cheerleaders were conversing with each other about random items when

Camille arrived 10 minutes late. Kim was amazed at why Camille recovered so quickly from the flu.

"That was a quick recovery, Camille," Kim said in an amazed look.

Camille told her the truth. "It was only a mild case and it itsn't contagiuous. I feel better already. Look!" She did several cartwheels without any problems to convince her that she was alright.

"Well, I'm glad that it wasn't contagious or my squad would end up in the hospital," Kim said with a light laugh and welcomed Camille back to the squad.

Bonnie gave a nervous look, _I got a bad feeling about this._

_Heh, so far, so good! _Camille thought to herself. Her plan of ruining Tara's life was underway.

Time: 6:00pm

Place: Middleton Gym, Mad Dog Locker Room

The sound of football cleats vibrated throughout the locker Barkin gave his pep speech :

"Alright, Mad Dogs, we have 9,000 fans cheering on us. We can't let them down. We act as one unit, together with a single purpose: winning ballgames. Tonight will be no different. You guys make me so pound. Now go out there and win the ballgame for all those fans out there!! Stoppable, lead the chant:

Ron then clapped his hands. A look of detemination was on his face.

_HERE WE GO MAD DOGS, HERE WE GO!!!_

(BARKING SOUNDS)

_HERE WE GO MAD DOGS, HERE WE GO!!!_

(BARKING SOUNDS)

_WHO WE ARE? MAD DOGS!!_

_WHO WE ARE? MAD DOGS!!_

_WHO WE ARE? MAD DOGS!!_

_1......2......3...... MAD DOGS!!_

After a brief team prayer, the Mad Dogs walked from the gym to the football field for pre-game warmups.

Kim blew an air kiss to Ron with her pom-pom. As Ron saw her, he grabbed her air kiss and put it in his jersey for good luck. Kim gave a long smile at her boyfriend as he prepared for the pre-game warmups.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 6:30pm, Friday

Place: Middleton High Stadium

The combo of the aroma of grilling burgers and the smell of the world-famous Nacos from Bueno Nacho was in the air.

The tailgating parties grew bigger.

The crowd was filling up both sides of the 12,000-seat Middleton High Stadium.

The intimidating banners that the Mad Dog cheerleaders created were put up.

The stadium lights gave their familiar scent of blue glow in a cloudy Friday night.

All this meant one thing ... IT WAS GAME TIME!! Game 4 was an all-important game.

Mr. Berry, the Middleton PA, grabbed his microphone and addressed the crowd:

"Welcome, all you fans in Mad Dog Nation out there for Game 4 of the MHSAA Football Finals! Tonight's game will feature your homestanding Middleton Mad Dogs against the visiting South Panola Tigers of Batesville, Mississippi. Your Mad Dogs currently lead the series 2 games to 1 over the Tigers. Last time these two teams faced was on Wednesday when the Mad Dogs defeated the Tigers in this same stadium 42-13."

He repeated the MHSAA policy and then announced both the lineups of the Mad Dogs and the Tigers through the microphone.

John and Felix arrived in the Mad Dog press box via the elevator. By then, the home side was jammed packed. Felix set up his laptop and put in his stats program. John opened up his pad and took out his trusty pen, ready to take down the offensive stats.

After the invocation and a renditioning of the National Anthem emitted from the marching band, both the Mad Dog players and the Tiger players gathered on opposite ends of the end zone. The Mad Dogs were on the North end zone while South Panola was on the South end zone.

"Here come the Tigers." Mr. Berry said in an unexcited voice.

The Tigers were the first to take the field. All 79 players charged through the construction paper saying "POUND THE MAD DOGS". The South Panola fans, about 3,000 in attendance, cheered on their Tigers as they made their way to the sides.

Then, it was the Mad Dogs' turn to take the field.

"Annnnnnndddd ....... here come Steve Barkin and your Mad Dogs of Middleton High!!" Mr. Berry exclaimed. All 9,000 Mad Dog fans stood on their feet. The fog machines blew their smoke as the Mad Dog football players came in. Bonnie confidently raised the Middleton High banner and carried it in the pathway of the cheerleaders while Kim carried the smaller Mad Dog flag. Then the flags made their trip across the Mad Dog track back and forth before resting on the track, ready to be raised again whenever Middleton scored. As the last of the Mad Dog players came out, the rest of the cheerleaders did various cartwheels and handstands as they headed towads the sidelines. The fight song echoed throughout the home side of the stadium.

At the field, Ron, Vince, Devon, and TJ met up with the South Panola captains: Jermaine, Marvin, Gordon, and Darius for the coin toss.

As the away team, the Tigers chose tails.

The official flipped it in the air.

It was heads. Middleton had won the toss again.

The official then spoke with Ron to see if the team wants to receive or defer to the 2nd half. The blonde-haired football captain said that the Mad Dogs will receive the ball.

South Panola chose to defend the South goal, exactly where the team was stationed at.

The captains then returned to their teams.

The Mad Dog return personell took to the field while Ted Thompson prepared to kick it off to Ron from the 40. The other 10 players of the Tiger kickoff team were willing to support Ted if Ron ever tried to break a kickoff return for a touchdown.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders pointed their pom-poms in the direction of the Tigers' end zone.

Ted kicked the ball from the tee as all 12,000 pairs of eyes focused on ball sailed through the air.

Game 4 was underway!


	74. Game 4 Quarter 1: The Beginning

The opening kick by Ted sailed through the air into the waiting arms of Number 7 at the Mad Dog 4. He returned it 13 yards before Tristan Gray, the backup Tiger wide receiver, made the stop.

--MID ball--

Kim cheered on as Ron and the Mad Dog offense took to the field.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 17, the Mad Dogs lined up in the I-formation. Stan was underneath the center with Troy and Ron behind him. He started things off with a fullback handoff to Troy up the middle. Immediately, though, Troy was stuffed by Bart for no gain on the play.

But on 2nd and 10, as the Mad Dogs tried to run another play, there was movement on the offensive line. Flags flew all over the place. The official made the call.

FALSE START, ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 61 ON THE PLAY, IT'S A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL SECOND DOWN.

Ray Hughes was guilty of moving too early, so the ball moved back to the 12.

On 2nd and 15 after the penalty, Coach Barkin called in "7 Eagle left". With 7 seconds left on the play clock, Stan snapped the ball and gave it off to Ron. The star tailback picked up where he left off from Game 3 as he cut to the left and picked up the first down at the Mad Dog 31. It was a pickup of 19 yards and a Mad Dog first down. The crowd cheered on "Unstoppable" Stoppable as he moved the sticks

"Yay, Ron!! Let's go, Mad Dogs!!" Kim cheered him on from the sidelines.

On 1st and 10 after Ron's run, Stan tried to find an open receiver but both Carver and Stacey were covered. So he decided to improvise and scramble to the right. Finding good blocks, he was able to move to the Mad Dog 39 where he picked up 8 yards. Deangelo made the stop for the Tigers.

Ron came out of the huddle for a couple of plays as Ladario took his place.

On 2nd and 2, the ball was snapped. Ladario got the handoff and blazed through the Tiger defense for the first down. Thanks to good blocking from the Mad Dog offensive line, he got a lot more yards than necessary. He picked up 14 yards and another Mad Dog first down. The crowd cheered as the chain gang moved the sticks again. Dontrell got the stop for South Panola. The ball moved towards to the South Panola 47.

However, flags flew again with 10:21 left in the quarter. There was movement again on the Mad Dog offensive line. The ref made the call again.

FALSE START, ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 79 ON THE PLAY, IT IS A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN.

Skeeter Valentine was charged with the second false start on the Mad Dogs. Fans booed a little bit at the call but it stood. The ball moved backwards to the Mad Dog 46

On first and 15, the Tigers' defense bared its teeth against the Mad Dogs. Roger brought Troy down for a loss of 2 yards to Middleton's 48-yard line.

On 2nd and 17 from the 46, Stan snapped the ball with 9:49 left on the clock. He was under pressure from Jarred Wilkes, the defensive end. He threw it at the With no open receivers, Stan threw the ball at the 33. He had no choice but to intentionally throw it out of bounds for an incomplete pass. Tiger defenders cried out intentional grounding, and the refs did throw out the flags again.

The call was made by the official:

INTENTIONAL GROUNDING, NUMBER 4, IT IS A LOSS FROM WHERE HE THREW THE BALL AT THE 33 PLUS A LOSS OF DOWN, IT IS NOW THIRD DOWN

The fans couldn't believe their eyes. _Three penalties on the opening drive of the game, what could be worse?_ Bonnie said to herself.

Her question was answered on 3rd and 30 when Jermaine tipped Stan's pass away from Carver to set up 4th and 30. The Mad Dogs had to go three-and-out on their opening drive.

David punted 41 yards to the Tiger 26 where the ball was downed there. The Mad Dogs were stopped on the opening drive of the game when things looked promising for them. Now the possession arrow went to South Panola.

--SP ball--

On first and 10 from the 26 with 9:33 remaining in the open period, the Tigers' first play of the game was a simple draw play by Darius up the middle. He picked up 3 yards to the Tigers' 29 where he was stopped by Jimmie Hopkins.

Then, on 2nd and seven from the 29, Coach Woods called in "16 Right Option", the same play that got the Tigers their first touchdown in Game 2. Deangelo took the snap and carried the ball himself on the option. The right side of the Tigers offensive line opened up a huge hole and, before the Mad Dogs defenders knew what hit them, he was gone. Kim, Bonnie and a few Mad Dog cheerleaders looked in horror. The Mad Dog nation was in stunned silence while the Tiger crowd cheered. Deangelo crossed the goal line, unopposed. "Touchdown, Tigers" was Mr. Berry's response. Deangelo just picked up a 71-yard touchdown run with 8:50 left in the first. Coach Barkin was fuming mad now that they have allowed a long touchdown run in their own stadium.

Ted added in the extra point and the scoreboard read: South Panola 7, Middleton 0. The Tigers' fight song played on the visitors' side. Mad Dog Nation may have been stunned by that long run by Deangelo, but they felt that they have enough firepower to get back into the game.

--MID ball--

Ted returned the kickoff back to the Mad Dog 9 where Ron returned it 28 yards to Middleton's 37-yard line. Hector Zeroni stopped him on special teams.

_Come on Ron, I know you can do it! _Kim thought to herself. _We can recover from this._

The Mad Dog Cheerleaders let out a huge cheer:

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N_

_Let's go Mad Dogs, let's fight, let's win!!_

On first down, Ron went in the single-back set with Weevil as the extra tight end. With five ticks left on the play clock, the ball snapped. Ron got the handoff but was stuffed by Bart behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 3 yards to the Mad Dog 34.

Stan dropped back to pass on 2nd and 13. He found Stacey in single coverage with Deangelo and threw in his direction. Stacey tried to rein in the pass but he dropped it. The Mad Dog fans groaned as third down approached.

Coach Barkin brought in Milo for Weevil on a third and 13. The Tigers came out in a nickel formation. Stan tried to find Milo but the pass fell incomplete to the grassy turf.

_Oh, please no, not another three and out._ Bonnie was worried in her thoughts that the game would go south on them again.

On 4th and 13 from the Mad Dog 34, David pinned the Tigers deep to the South Panola 14.

Coach Barkin was stunned that the first two Mad Dog drives ended up in three-and-outs but was confident his defense could stand up to South Panola

--SP ball--

The Tigers regained the ball with 8:02 left in the quarter. Already up 7-0, South Panola wanted more on this drive. Dontrell and Evan lined up behind Deangelo.

On the first play from the 14, Deangelo took the ball himself to the right and picked up 3 yards before Butters stopped him at the 17.

With 7:28 left, Coach Woods called in "4 Blast Right" on 2nd and seven. Evan then got the handoff from Deangelo with 4 seconds left on the play clock. He found a good block from Burris and picked up the first down. Ron tried to bring him down, but Evan simply manuevered out of bonds to the Tiger 32. He picked up 15 yards for the Tigers. The clock stopped at 7:13 remaining

Then, on the next play, Dontrell carried up the middle for South Panola. The defensive back/running back picked up 7 hard-earned yards to the Tiger 39 before Lee stopped him.

_Come on Mad Dogs, shut down the Tigers! _Tara thought in her head.

On second and three with 6:49 left, Ron crept up to the line, waiting to bring down any opposing Tiger ballcarrier that came in his path. As the ball was snapped, Deangelo gave it off to Evan and Evan fought his way hard, trying to get the Tiger first down. Ron brought Evan down at the Tiger 41, but not before grabbing and twisting Evan's face mask while bringing him down. Yellow flags flew all around field where the infraction occurred. Deangelo, Darius, and a few of the Tiger offensive linemen pointed it in the direction of the Mad Dogs.

Kim stopped cheering momentarily. _Please, not on Ron! PLLLEAASSEE not on Ron! _The red-haired cheering captain couldn't believe that Ron would be that aggressive on the football field. Cecillia and David can't bear to watch.

The official made the call:

PERSONAL FOUL, ON THE DEFENSE NUMBER 7, 15 YARD PENALTY FROM THE END OF THE RUN, FIRST DOWN.

It was the fourth penalty against Middleton.

John, from the press box, heard an orchestra of booing from the home side. Mad Dog fans were complaining about the call but the official saw that Ron did hit Evan after he was down. So, the ball

moved into Mad Dog territory at the 44.

_Damn, I gotta control my behavior._ Ron said to himself as the Mad Dog defense backed up.

After Ron's penalty, the Tigers ran their next play. This time, Coach Woods called for "16 Option Left". The Mad Dog defense was prepared to take on number 16 for South Panola. As the play clock drained to four seconds, Deangelo kept the ball to the left. Francis and Walter blocked Ralph and Doug. This created a huge opening gash for Deangelo to run through. Deangelo was now open. He ran all the way down to the Mad Dog 12 where Token made the touchdown-saving tackle, but not before Deangelo gained 32 more yards for the Tigers. It also put him over 100 yards, and the first period wasn't even halfway over yet. The Mad Dogs' defense suddenly found themselves in a hole.

On first and 10 at the Mad Dog 12, the Tigers were about to run another play when movement occurred along the Tigers' offensive line.

FALSE START, ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 79 ON THE PLAY, IT IS A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN.

Burris Ewell was guilty of the false start.

After the ball moved back to the 17, Darius then came in for Dontrell. Deangelo then handed the ball off to Darius who took it up the middle. He busted through the Mad Dogs' line and headed up to the secondary where Vince stopped him at the Middleton 4. It was a 13-yard gain for the star senior tailback and it was a short 2nd and 2.

Kim and the other cheerleaders tried to cheer up the anxious Mad Dog crowd.

_Let's go, Mad Dog defense!_

_Let's go, Mad Dogs! Beat the Tigers!_

_Go, Mad Dogs!_

On 2nd and 2 from the 4, Coach Woods took out his wide receivers and put in two extra tight ends, Viktor and Cecil, for the play.

The clock went down to 10 seconds before Deangelo snapped the ball. Darius got the handoff and, with the help of the Tigers' offense line, ran into the end zone. Darius has scored on a four-yard touchdown run with 5:01 left in the first.

"Touchdown, South Panola," Mr. Berry said through the speaker system. The Tiger fans cheered again.

Ron's jaw immediately dropped. _Oh, great, we're behind by two touchdowns. _Kim just stared blankly at the scoreboard. She could only watch as Ted added the point after for South Panola. The scoreboard now read: South Panola 14, Middleton 0.

--MID Ball--

The South Panola fight song played again as the two teams sent in their kickoff units to the field. Ron and Ladario stood ready to return it

Ted kicked the ball into the light wind as Ladario fielded it at the 9. The senior tailback swerved through one defender before Blaise Zabini took him down at the 35 for a 26-yard return.

On first down, Barkin noticed that Ron was getting worn down. He was breathing heavily.

"Stoppable, why don't you take a rest on the sideline?" the head coach said.

"Thanks, Coach Barkin," Ron responded with a heavy panting. He was clearly growing tired.

"Weathers, take his place!" Barkin commanded as number 13 took to the field.

On first and 10, Ladario and Troy lined up behind Stan in the I-formation. Ladario got the handoff from Stan but was brought down behind the line for a loss of 1 yard by Roger.

On 2nd and 11, TJ then moved closer as Damon took his place at cornerback position. Troy then tried a blast play up the middle, but Evan and Dontrell brought him down together behind the line again. This time, it was for a loss of 2 yards to the Mad Dog 32. The Tigers were definitely not the same Tigers that gave up over 200 yards on the ground to Ron in Game 3.

On 3rd and 13, Stan barked the signals and snapped the ball with 3:31 left in the first quarter. He rolled back and tried to find anyone open. Unfortunately, Stan couldn't see the waiting arms of number 76, Gordon Dill on him. He was hit by Gordon at the Mad Dog 25 for a sack of a loss of 7 yards.

_Aw, geez, we're moving backwards. _Ron stood in disbelief at the speed of how the Mad Dogs had to punt for the third time in the game.

David punted on 4th and 20. The ball sailed 48 yards through the mid-November air before it landed in the waiting arms of the ever-dangerous Deangelo at the 27. Deangelo went to the Tiger 37 for a gain of 10 yards. Troy stopped him there.

--SP ball--

With 2:52 left on the clock, the Tigers wanted to score again like they did on their first two drives. They were now up 14 to nothing over a stunned Mad Dog football team.

The ball was placed on the Tiger 37. The Tigers lined up in their usual I-option formation. All the Mad Dog defense could do now was hope and wait that a turnover would change the game.

Deangelo quickly dashed those hopes on first and 10. He took the ball himself and went to the right as he followed his blocks. He picked up 16 more yards as Lee made an open-field tackle. That moved the sticks once again for the Tigers. The ball, once again, was in Mad Dog territory, at the 47.

Deangelo then tried the left side but was immediately cut off by Doug. Doug finally brought Deangelo down for a 5-yard loss back to the Tiger 48. The crowd was riled up for the first time tonight.

On 2nd and 15, Evan tried his favorite fullback blast up the middle. He was able to get 7 yards to the Mad Dog 46 where TJ and Ron combined on the stop.

Time was running down fast on the first period. Coach Woods called his first team timeout with 1:22 left in the first quarter on a third and 8.

This gave Kim and the other cheerleaders to pump up the Mad Dog crowd: DE-FENSE!! DE-FENSE!! DE-FENSE!! echoed throughout the home side.

Darius tried to pick up the first down for the Tigers but was immediately stuffed by Mikey for only a 1-yard gain to the Mad Dog 45.

The Mad Dog crowd cheered that their defense finally held down the Tigers. Kim raised her pom-poms in the air. All 21 cheerleaders danced along:

_Let's hear it, Let's hear y'all shout_

_Let's go Mad Dogs_

_Force the Tigers to go 3-and-out!_

Coach Woods sent in the punt unit. Ron jumped up from the sidelines and went to the field in order to return the kick. He stood at the 7, ready to return the kick. Ash Ketchum punted the ball 31 yards in the air before it landed into Ron's hands at the 14. Ron returned it to the Mad Dog 22 for an 8-yard return. Ethan Robinson, the backup tailback, was given credit on the stop.

--MID ball--

Now, with 49 seconds left in the period, Coach Barkin sent Ron as the single-back.

On first down, Ron tried a sweep to the left. He was able to pick up 2 hard-fought yards to the Mad Dog 24 before Jarred corraled him to the ground.

On second and 8, Ron got the handoff from Stan as the first quarter came to a close. White Tiger jerseys were all over Ron as he failed to get to the line of scrimmage. He was brought down for a loss of 1 yard. The familiar white jersey of number 16, Deangelo Young, got to him first.

As the horn signaled the end of the first quarter, Kim had this thought in her mind: Even though we are down by a couple of scores, _I know that we can get back into the game. I better hope so._

The end of the first quarter of Game 4 was: the South Panola Tigers 14, the Middleton Mad Dogs 0.


	75. Game 4 Quarter 2: The Long Run

As the second quarter began, the Mad Dogs were facing a long 3rd and nine from their own 23.

Coach Barkin called in his shotgun offense as he put in Milo for Weevil for the third Mad Dog wideout. The Tigers put in their dime package The play clock dropped to six ticks before Stan snapped the ball. He dropped back to pass but found out that his receivers were covered. Again Stan improvised and scrambled around. Tristian made the stop at the 28. Stan picked up only 5 yards so the Mad Dogs had to go three and out again. Barkin yelled at his offense for not doing anything on first and second down. So, he had to send in his punt team.

On 4th and 5, David was prepared to punt when flags flew all over the place. There was movement on the Mad Dog line

Ron from the sidelines put his hands on his face.

The call came from the official:

FALSE START, NUMBER 38 ON THE KICKING TEAM, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FOURTH DOWN.

Tracey Sketchit was guilty of the foul.

The fans made a few boos at the fifth penalty against the Mad Dogs. The ball was moved back to the 23.

On 4th and 10 from the Mad Dog 23, David punted again and it was a booming kick to the Tiger 23. The punt covered 54 yards and it was down by the Mad Dogs right there.

--SP ball--

The Tigers, who had to punt on their last drive, started on their own 23 with 11:39 left in the first half.

This time, Ash was the new fullback while Darius remained the tailback behind Deangelo.

Deangelo started things off on first and 10 with another option run of his own. He powered through the Mad Dog defense for a gain of 5 yards to the Tiger 28. TJ contributed on the stop for the Mad Dogs.

On 2nd and 5, Deangelo then gave it off to Darius up the middle. The Tiger O-Line pushed the Mad Dog D-Line back. This gave Darius the advantage needed to pick up the first down for the Tigers. He reached the Tiger 34 for a 6-yard gain. The purple number 7 of Ron Stoppable brought down Darius right there.

Ash then got his first shot of carrying the football on the next play. He took the handoff from Deangelo and went up the middle to pick up 2 yards as Jimmie and Butters stopped him at the 36.

Then, on second and 8, Deangelo, once again, turned to Darius. The play clock went down to 4 seconds before the ball was snapped. Darius took the ball and found another open hole in the Mad Dog defense. The star Tiger tailback went to the second level as Lee and Token stopped him at the Tiger 47 for an 11-yard gain. The Tigers continued to move the ball rapidly downfield.

Ash went out and Evan went back in the huddle for the Tigers for the fifth play of the drive. Ten minutes and four seconds remained for the first half. Evan got the fullback handoff from Deangelo. Walter and Francis helped open up a huge hole for the junior fullback. Evan chose that hole to run through the Mad Dog defense. He got the first down an a lot more. Lee was closing in on him but Evan ran out of bounds to avoid the hit at the Middleton 31. He picked up 22 yards on that play.

The Tigers prepared to run the next play against a stunned Mad Dog defense when flags flew all over the place. Movement was present on the Tigers' side.

FALSE START, ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 51 ON THE PLAY, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN

Charles Harris was blamed upon for the false start which moved the Tigers five yards back to the Mad Dog 36. Now, 9:15 remained on the clock.

On first and 15 after the penalty, Darius ran a counter play against the Mad Dogs to the right. He helped pick up 9 more yards for the Tigers as Jimmie made the stop.

Coach Barkin recalled Doug and put Kenny McCormick in for him.

On 2nd and six from the Mad Dog 27, Deangelo snapped the ball and kept it himself on the option keeper. It netted him 4 yards as TJ and Kenny stopped him at the 23.

The scoreboard clock now read 8:41 left in the period on this 3rd and 2. Ladarious Jones came in for Jimmie as an extra Mad Dog defensive lineman and Viktor came in as an extra tight end for Karl Branting.

Kim and the cheerleaders cheered the crowd up by repeating: DEFENSE!! DEFENSE!! DEFENSE!!

The play clock ran down to 8 seconds before Evan got the carry from Deangelo. He blasted through the Mad Dog defense and picked up 5 more yards to the Mad Dog 18 for another Tiger first down. Kenny and Jimmie made the stop. Mad Dog nation was silenced.

As the Tigers drew closer and closer to the Mad goal-line, Kim couldn't believe the events that were unfolding right beneath her eyes. The Mad Dog crowd was well known for its noise. Now, the Tigers seem to have lowered their voices.

Dontrell then came in for Darius at tailback for the Tigers. Deangelo then gave the ball off to him on the ninth play of the drive. Dontrell broke through the Mad Dog defense up the middle. It seemed that he could go all the way, but Ron was there for the touchdown-saving tackle at the Mad Dog 4. Still, Dontrell picked up 14 more yards for the Tigers. Then, the Tigers brought in Ash and Cecil for Evan and Willie for the power-I.

Kyle came in for Token as an extra Mad Dog Linebacker

The Mad Dogs again tried to pump up the crowd. The ball was snapped with 7:50 left. Ash powered his way up the middle for a gain of 3 yards. Kyle and Ladarius combined on the stop at the Mad Dog 1.

Deangelo then put everyone on the line at the 1-yard line on second and goal. The Mad Dogs were cheering on the defense to stop the Tigers. Deangelo sneaked in his way through the battered Mad Dog defense. The Mad Dog crowd, cheerleaders, and players anxiously awaited the result of the call. As soon as the referee's officials went up in the air, a loud chrous of groans and expressions of frustration came across the Middleton side of the crowd from end to end.

"Touchdown, South Panola." Mr. Berry announced throught the speaker system.

Deangelo has scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:14 left in the half. The South Panola side of the stadium erupted in a loud explosion of cheers. He capped off a 11-play, 77 yard drive.

Then, Coach Woods put two fingers in the air: a two-point conversion.

Instead of the kicking team, Coach Barkin sent in his regular defense.

Darius and Evan lined up behind Deangelo. The ball was snapped and Darius quickly ran through the tired and fatigued Mad Dog defense for the extra two points. The new score was now: South Panola 22, Middleton 0.

The Tiger cheerleaders flew the two flags across the Middleton track on their side as their fight song played.

Kim was stunned that the Tigers would pile up that many points against them ... on their turf. Still, she was determined to cheer on her beloved Mad Dogs.

--MID ball--

A stunned Ron was set to return the kick from Ted. The Tiger kicker kicked it to the Mad Dog 4, The football captain returned it to the Mad Dog 21 before Germichael Diggs and Blaise combined on the stop.

Middleton, desperate for any offense, started their next drive on their 21 with 7:05 left in the half.

Coach Barkin then told Ron "Stoppable, I want you to help out our team here. We're down by 22 and we need to make the score respectable before halftime. Can you help us?"

"Sure can, Coach Barkin," Ron said as he headed off towards to the Mad Dog huddle.

Troy and Ron lined up behind Stan.

Ron started things off on a high note for the Mad Dogs as he took the handoff from Stan and cut through the Tiger defense to the right, which up until now has been almost impenetrable. Jermaine stopped Ron at the 37. Number 7 picked up 16 yards for the Mad Dogs and a much-needed first down.

Kim cheered on for Ron, "Go, Unstoppable!" She was waving her pom-poms in the air.

On first and 10 from the 37, Stan decided to run an option play. He found a little crease to the right and picked up 8 yards to the Mad Dog 45. Evan and Deangelo met the junior Mad Dog quarterback right there.

Then, Stan turned to his fullback, Troy, and handed it off on a blast play. He picked up 5 yards to midfield and picked up another Mad Dog first down as Damon stopped him. The crowd suddenly came back to life and cheered on their fellow Mad Dogs.

Ron then carried next on the drive. He picked up 4 hard-fought yards up the middle before a den of white Tiger jerseys consumed him at the Tiger 46 with 5:57 left in the period. Marvin Young got to him first.

Ron continued to be the workhorse for the Mad Dogs. Number 7 found an empty hole in the left side of the Tigers' defense. He ran through it and was suddenly on the loose. Dontrell and Deangelo were trailing him. He simply went out of bounds at the Tiger 15 with 5:41 left.

The reception that he got from the 31-yard run was much needed. The crowd chanted "Unstoppable!! Unstoppable!!" Even Kim, his girlfriend, was cheering him on as her pom-poms rubbed together and then raised up in the air. She and her fellow Mad Dog cheerleaders chanted:

_Let's go, Mad Dogs, beat the Tigers!!_

_Let's go, Mad Dogs, beat the Tigers!!_

On the next play after the long run by Ron, he tried another shot at the Tiger defense. This time, South Panola's defense held and didn't allow Ron any yards at all. No gain as Gordon downed him.

On 2nd and 10, Coach Barkin called in "4 Left Slant 1". As the clock went below five minutes, Stan went back to the huddle and the Tigers prepared to defend against the run. As the ball snapped, Stan dropped back to pass. The Tigers were caught by surprise. He spotted a wide-open Carver Descartes. Stan threw the open pass to him. Carver caught it at the 2 and went across the goal-line.

"TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS" Mr. Berry exclaimed, finally finding something to be excited about.

The crowd immediately awoke from its slumber to cheer on their Mad Dogs.

Stan threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Carver to cap a seven play, 79 yard drive. Ron's run helped kept it alive. About 4:33 now remained on the game clock.

Kim finally found something to cheer about while Bonnie grabbed the Middleton High banner and waved it across the track. The fight song from Middleton finally got its chance to be heard from the band.

Charlie Bucket's point after went through the uprights. It was good and the new score was: South Panola 22, Middleton 7.

--SP ball --

After the celebration of Middleton's first score of the ballgame, Charlie kicked the ball off from its tee to the Tiger 2. Karl returned the ball 10 yards to the Tiger 12, but not before penalty flags came in.

ILLEGAL BLOCK IN THE BACK, NUMBER 41 ON THE RECEIVING TEAM, IT IS A 10-YARD PENALTY FROM THE END OF THE RUN; FIRST DOWN.

The Mad Dog crowd applauded the referee's decision to put the ball at the Tiger 2-yard line.

As Deangelo came under center, Dontrell Avery was back there, standing in his own end zone. The ball was snapped with five seconds on the play clock.

As Dontrell received the handoff from Deangelo, he cut to his left. Suddenly he broke free into the open plain. No Mad Dog touched him. Ron was completely out of breath, trying to chase down Dontrell. He could not believe what he was witnessing. In fact, none of the Mad Dogs hadn't witnessed this before. Dontrell crossed the end zone with 4:06 left in the first quarter. There were no penalty flags in sight.

It was one of the longest plays from scrimmage ever allowed by the Mad Dog defense ..... a 98-yard touchdown run by Dontrell Avery of the South Panola Tigers. Now, the Mad Dogs were truly witnessing South Panola's traditional lightning-fast running game.

Dontrell now joined Deangelo to soar over 100 yards in the game for the Tigers.

"Touchdown, South Panola." Mr. Berry announced through the speakers. The Mad Dog fans were deathly silenced by Dontrell's effortless run. He made it so easy out there.

Bonnie simply stood there in shock. Her blue-green eyes were wide open and her jaw dropped. _If South Panola pulls off runs like that, we are going to get mercilessly slaughtered. _She kept this worry to herself.

Kim was simply devastated. She was stunned beyond belief. Still, she kept her pom-poms up. The Mad Dogs were down but not out.

Ted's point after, due to the increasing wind, was no good to the left side. So, the score was now: South Panola 28, Middleton 7.

--MID ball--

"Stoppable, I want you to get out there and help our team. The Tigers are getting really good out there. We need you more." Barkin said to Ron.

"Ok, Coach, I'll do it!" Ron exclaimed, although he was still out of breath from Dontrell's run.

Ted kicked the ball off to Ron, who was still shaken up after Dontrell's long scoring run. Ron returned the ball 18 yards to the Mad Dog 27 where Rashad Barksdale stopped him for the Tigers.

On first and 10, Ron resumed his rushing efforts by getting the handoff from Stan. He went up the middle for a gain of 8 yards where Evan stopped him at the Mad Dog 35.

But, on second and 2, the next play proved to be the deciding moment of Game 4.

As Ron got the handoff from Stan, he was hit extremely hard by Gordon at the 32. This forced the ball to go out of his hands. It went on the grassy turf of Middleton High field as a live ball. The Tigers immediately dived on it first. Damon finally scooped it up for the Tigers at the Mad Dog 32.

The Tiger crowd gave a thunderous applause for the Tiger Defense for standing up to "Unstoppable" Stoppable.

The Mad Dog crowd couldn't believe this: their star tailback and football captain had just lost the football and that the Tigers recovered it was more than enough for them.

Ron collapsed on the field and buried one of hands on the mask of his helmet while pounding the turf of his fist with another.

Kim tried to keep her hopes up for the Mad Dogs, whose defense was now already burned twice for long runs of 71 yards and 98 yards. _Please, Mad Dogs, please hold them here_.

--SP ball --

The Tigers were now in excellent field position to go for a touchdown. They had enough offensive firepower to impose their will against the beleagured Mad Dogs' defense. Ash and Darius were behind Deangelo. About 3:31 remained in the first half.

On the first play of the drive from the 32, Deangelo went to the air for the first time tonight. The Tigers' O-Line gave him enought time to throw. He found a wide-open Karl Branting for a gain of 16 yards. Token made the stop but not before the Tigers made another first down at the Mad Dog 16.

Then on the play after that, Ash took the fullback handoff from Deangelo and found a hole in Middleton's leaky defense and picked up 10 more yards to the Mad Dog 6-yard-line. TJ brought him down but also happened to grab his face mask and twist it. It was enough evidence for the referees to throw the yellow flag once again against the Mad Dogs for their sixth penalty of the game.

The official made his statement before the crowd:

PERSONAL FOUL, FACE MASK, AGAINST THE DEFENSE NUMBER 48 ON THE PLAY, IT IS HALF THE DISTANCE TO THE GOAL AND ASSESSED FROM THE END OF THE RUN, 1ST DOWN.

Mad Dog fans were all in booing mode after the call was announced but it stood. The ball was spotted at the 3 with 2:44 left in the half.

Viktor and Cecil came in once again for the Tigers as extra tight ends as Karl and Willie moved out. Evan came in for Ash as the fullback.

Tracey and Kenny came in for Butters and Doug. The Mad Dogs braced for the inevitable.

The play clock ran down to 8 seconds before the ball was snapped. Evan carried the ball from Deangelo with all his might and, with his 229-pound physique, ran the remaining 3 yards into the end zone. A trail of Mad Dogs was on him, but they couldn't bring him down. It was the deciding nail in the coffin against the Mad Dogs in Game 4 with 2:39 left in the first half.

"Touchdown, Tigers" Mr. Berry announced unemotionally as the supportive Tiger crowd erupted in a wave of cheers.

Tara stared her head down at the pavement. She was in a dejected mood that the Mad Dogs were losing this badly in their own stadium.

Bonnie gave a disappointed look. Her gold paiper-mache of the pom-poms were in a downward stance, meaning that they were going to lose the game, regardless.

Kim couldn't believe the new score. She was completely shellshocked. Her jaw dropped that the Mad Dogs allowed 34 points in the first half against the Tigers in the Dog Pound. This sitch against the Mad Dog football team was worse than Game 2. They were playing in front of 9,000 of their rabidly loyal Mad Dog fans .... and they failed them. It seems like that no matter how loud the crowd was, be it 3,000 or 9,000, the Tigers found a way to silence them._ I wish Ron's mistake hadn't happened so that we could fight back in the game, but we know the old saying: we Mad Dogs win as a team, we Mad Dogs lose as a team._

Ron, meanwhile, retreated to the sidelines. His head lowered in shame.

Luckily, there was a tiny bit of consolation, Ted's kick was blocked by TJ.

But it was of no use. The score was now: South Panola 34, Middleton 7.

--MID ball--

The Mad Dogs, now facing a 27-point deficit, must find a way to make an improbable comeback against the Tigers.

Ron, now finally up from the sidelines, returned Ted's kick from the Mad Dog 3 to the Mad Dog 24 for 21 yards as Hector Zeroni brought him down.

Ladario now came in as the tailback for the Mad Dogs.

Their chances of winning now fading away, Stan went to the air on first down. He found Ladrecius Nesbitt for a 17-yard gain to the 41. Stacey went out-of-bounds to stop the clock with 2:20 left.

Ladario carried the ball next on first down. Through hard running, he picked up 5 yards to the Mad Dog 46. Bart brought him down, but he also laid out an extra hit on number 13 for the Mad Dogs. For the first time, South Panola actually suffered from a mistake.

PERSONAL FOUL, ON THE DEFENSE NUMBER 28 ON THE PLAY, 15 YARDS ASSESSED FROM THE END OF THE RUN, FIRST DOWN

Mad Dog fans applauded the decision as the ball moved to the Tiger 39.

However, the Mad Dogs committed another mistake. With less than 2 minutes left in the first half, Stan dropped back to pass. He wanted to go for Carver but, once again, number 16 for the Tigers washed away Lady Luck from the Mad Dogs. Deangelo picked off Stan's pass at the Tiger 15 and returned it 13 yards to the Tiger 28, where he went out of-bounds to avoid a stunned Mad Dog offense.

All the Mad Dogs' chances of winning were crushed with that pick with 1:50 left in the half.

Kim could feel the tinge of the image of her playing the harmonica, not on a 6-hour trip back home, but in her very own room, because of this crushing of the Mad Dogs football team.

--SP ball--

The Tigers, now showing the entire Mad Dog nation the might of South Panola Tiger football, started their next drive at the 28.

On first down, Deangelo extended the Mad Dogs' futility of stopping the Tiger juggernaut running game by running to the right side, picking up a block from Francis. He slashed the poor Mad Dog defense for 23 more yards. Ron tried to bring down his all-purpose Tiger counterpart but Deangelo ran out-of-bounds at the Mad Dog 49. It was another first down by South Panola.

After Deangelo's run, Darius tried a crack at the Mad Dog defense but was able to pick up only 2 yards as Mikey stopped him at the Mad Dog 47.

Then, with 1:29 left in the half, Coach Woods called in his second timeout to put in a water break for his Tigers.

On 2nd and 8, Darius again tried a run up the middle but fell behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 2 yards as Ralph stopped him at the Mad Dog 49

Coach Barkin called in a timeout with 1:17 left on a 3rd and 10. He used this time to tell the defense to stand their ground.

After the timeout ended. Deangelo tried to gain the first down on an option but picked up only 1 yard as Jimmie stopped him.

On 4th and 9, Ash punted only 28 yards to the Mad Dog 20, Ron returned it 8 yards to the Mad Dog 28 where Chazz stopped him right there with 49 seconds left in the half.

Coach Barkin is going to have a long explaining to his defense.

--MID ball--

On first down at the 28, Stan went in a four wide-receiver formation with Ron as the single back. Carver, Ladrecius, Pete Ross, and Lance Jackson were the wideouts. The Tigers were in their dime formation. Stan snapped the ball and found an open receiver in Carver, who was only covered by Deangelo. As the ball was thrown in the air, Carver intentionally contacted the Tigers' star quarterback. The pass fell incomplete to the ground but flags flew all over the place. Kim, Bonnie, and most of the Mad Dogs thought that it was a pass interference called against the Tigers' defense.

The call took the Mad Dogs by surprise:

PASS INTERFERENCE, OFFENSE NUMBER 1 ON THE PLAY, BY RULE: IT IS A 15-YARD PENALTY, PLUS A LOSS OF DOWN, SECOND DOWN.

Kim was speechless. This was the Mad Dogs' seventh penalty of the half. _Things just keep on getting worse and worse, _she said to herself. Like in Game 2, she looked at the depressed look of the Mad Dogs players and those fans of Mad Dog Nation. She thought about them in her head for the perfect tune to her blues song after the game.

The ball moved to the Mad Dog 13 from the Mad Dog 28 and a down was subtracted from them, to add insult to injury.

Pete and Lance left the field and Dashiell and Oliver got back into the game. The Tigers resumed their normal 4-4 defense.

With 34 seconds left, on 2nd-and-25, Ron got the handoff from Stan and picked up 2 yards to the Mad Dog 15 as Jarred and Russell Northrop shared the tackle for South Panola.

The final play of the game, 11 seconds left, on 3rd and 23, was a option keeper by Stan. Stan picked up 5 yards before Deangelo brought him down.

The two teams then walked to their respective locker rooms. One team was enjoying its complete home-away-from home domination. The other team was thoroughly destroyed in their very own stadium build of steel and metal.

Most of the Mad Dog cheerleaders had their golden pom-poms in a downward stance. Even the Mad Dog barely showed off its foam after Carver scored Middleton's only touchdown of the game and its growling noises died to a dog's whimper and whine.

The horn rang throughout the stadium, signaling the end of the first half. The score did not look good at all.

The halftime score of Game 4 was: the South Panola Tigers 34, the Middleton Mad Dogs 7.


	76. Damage Control

**AN: Barkin's halftime speech was created by CajunBear73. He helped me with it.**

As the two bands prepared their halftime shows, the Mad Dog fans could scarely take in the score.

It was 34-7 in favor of the Tigers.

Felix was in stunned silence. He gave the stats to Mr. Berry:

Mr. Berry took a deep breath and began the reading of the stats:

"Your halftime score is the South Panola Tigers 34, your Middleton Mad Dogs 7.

For your Mad Dogs, Ron "Unstoppable" Stoppable had 11 carries for 75 yards; Stan Marsh had five carries for 19 yards; Ladario Weathers had three carries for 18 yards ; and Troy Bolton had three carries for one yard. Your Mad Dogs had 22 carries for 113 yards.

For the Tigers, Deangelo Young had 10 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns, TJ Avery had three carries for 119 yards and one touchdown; Evan Nordan had six carries for 54 yards and one touchdown; Darius Griffin had nine carries for 47 yards and one touchdown; and Ash Ketchum had three carries for 15 yards. In all, the Tigers had 31 carries for 386 yards for five touchdowns.

For your Mad Dogs through the air, Marsh was two of seven for 32 yards and one touchdown with one pick. Stacey Logan had one catch for 17 yards and Descartes had one catch for 15 yards and one touchdown.

For the Tigers, Young completed his only pass to Karl Branting for 16 yards.

The Tigers ran 32 plays for 402 yards, while your Mad Dogs ran 29 plays and 145 yards."

Kim, who heard those stats, was speechless. She never thought that the Tigers would pull off runs of 98 and 71 yards for touchdowns. She never even had the thought that the Mad Dogs giving up almost 400 yards on the ground against the Tigers in their own stadium.

All of this trauma in her head was shaping up into another blues song.

She went to the concession stand for some Grande Nacos with extra cheese, Rufus' favorite.

Rufus came to Kim by her side as she sat next to the Stoppables, her head hanging in sorrow. The naked mole rat tried to give the female member of Team Possible some comfort.

Usually, he would immediate dive in to have the Nacos to himself, but he gave one of the Nacos to Kim.

"There, there" Rufus said as his small pink hand patted Kim's back, offering up his Naco.

"Thanks, Rufus." Kim said as she took the Naco and ate it.

As she consumed the Naco, her concerns then turned to Ron.

Kim exactly remembered how Ron reacted in Game 2, with that towel underneath his face, screaming his voice hoarse. She worried that he, the football captain, the very heart of the team, would act up again because of the score.

Both she and Rufus continued to eat their Nacos as they enjoyed Middleton High's halftime performance.

In the fieldhouse locker rooms for the Visitors, Coach Woods applauded his players for their performance in the first half. He wanted his players to not get too overjoyed because there was still one more half to play.

Coach Barkin, on the other hand, was not happy with his team's performance whatsoever. Yet, he can't take out his rage upon the whole team. He, instead, tried to keep them back into the game with his speech:

_Forget, as best as we can, about being behind. Work on executing and finding what's deep within and not make the mistakes that have put us in a hole. Just do your jobs, be excited about what we are here to do, but don't get nervous. _

_We have an opponent that is very comfortable and feeling very formidable right now, but maybe we can chip away or take chunks out of the Tigers' feelings of superiority. _

_Don't overextend, except where we can make it count most for our Mad Dogs. Protect yourselves, and take this fight back to the Tigers._

_Now let's get back onto the field and show the Tigers what Mad Dog football is all about._

The Mad Dog players cheered. Ron, as the captain, got his team pumped back up.

They performed the Mad Dog chant and left, hopefully trying to make the fans forget about the first half.

A few of the fans, not wanting to witness the carnage anymore, began to leave.

Meanwhile, among the Mad Dogs fans in the crowd, Senor Senior Junior, who was recently paroled and retired from a life of crime, was bored. He was sitting along his father Senor Senior Senior next to Mrs. Rockwaller. He had seen the Mad Dogs play in all three games of the series and twice he was amazed at Ron's running skills. Now, like the rest of Mad Dog Nation, he was stunned that an opposing team could play so well against a Mad Dog team that had number 7 in its roster, even when he had the Spinning Tops of Death against him when he was a criminal.

As Bonnie was walking along the track to her mom in the stands, she was down in the dumps. Her golden pom-poms were in a downward stance. She wanted just 20 minutes to clear her mind of the events that had taken place before her eyes. However, she was crying to her heart's content and sobbing in her mother's shirt sleeve.

The Senors were about to leave the bleachers when Junior heard Bonnie's sobs. He then caught sight of her for the first time. Junior was blown away at the sight of the beautiful skin-tanned beauty _It's a sad sight to see such a beautiful woman like this go to tears. It feels like she has this magnetic feel on me that I can't just let go! I have to meet her!!_

"Junior, let's leave this stadium, I cannot bear the humiliation any further!" Senior had the same feeling as some of the other fans.

"Father, I have just caught sight of a beautiful cheerleader, and I must comfort her in some way! Oh, what to do, what to do, WHAT TO DOOOO!!" Junior was whining. This was his one chance to meet the hottest cheerleader on the squad.

"Ok, Junior, but I will be waiting by the car!" Senior said as he left through the stadium exits.

Luckily for Junior, he had his trusty hanky with him. He came up to the Rockwallers.

Bonnie was still crying on her mom's shoulder. Her tear drops still stained her mom's shirt: "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!!!! WAAAHHH!!!"

Then a handkerchief with the SSJ initials embroided in it appeared gently in her face. Bonnie's face emerged from the wallowing of tears and patted the hanky with her eyes. With an isolated tear, she looked up. Her face immediately transformed from a saddened Bonnie to a starstruck Bonnie. She then gazed into Junior's pale-blue eyes. It was the most beautiful sight she had seen tonight. Through all of this, this was the bright spot Bonnie needed to lighten up her day.

"What-what's your name?" Bonnie stuttered. She was at a compelte loss of words.

"Senor Senior Junior, but most people call me Junior." Junior said with a smile across his face. "What's yours?"

"Bonnie Rockwaller." Bonnie said as she mustered whatever courage she had left.

The two stood up and hugged each other.

Wanda Rockwaller exclaimed "Oh, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!" She asked Bonnie for Junior's hanky.

Bonnie then remembered Lonnie's words from Thanksgiving: _I can see, according the strong relationship that you two have with each other and the course that you are on right right now, that you will go really far in life together. _Of course she was talking about Kim and Ron.

Now, the youngest Rockwaller felt like that she, after one failed relationship after another, had finally found her man in Senor Senior Junior.

They made a light conversation with each other before from each other with 4 minutes left in the halftime show.

"So, where can I see you after the game, Bonnie?" Junior asked Bonnie from the stands.

"Bueno Nacho. We'll meet you there, Junior!" Bonnie called back to her new friend.

Junior, excited over this, called up his father:

_SSS: Hello, Junior, what is it?_

_SSJ: Father! I just found a perfect girl! I think she's the prettiest thing I've ever seen in my life!!_

_SSS: Good for you, son. So I'm guessing you're going to stay for the rest of the game._

_SSJ: Yes, Father! I am staying, no matter what the score is. After that, we're going to Bueno Nacho._

_SSS: (sighs) Well, son. I'll pick you up at midnight._

_SSJ: OK, Father! See ya then!_

(hangs up)

Camille, throughout the course of the halftime show, realized that her plans of ruining both Kim's and Tara's lives were going to be easier than she anticipated.

Like most of the cheerleaders, she was eating her concession stand food, although only in little bites. She was about two rows behind James and Anne.

The cat food deb overheard even more joyous news from the Possible family themselves that benefiited her evil plan:

"Well, now that the Mad Dogs are down 34 to 7, I guess we could drown our sorrows over at Bueno Nacho with Kimmie", James said with a long face. "You know, listening to her play the blues from her harmonica. It would cheer us up quite a bit."

Anne agreed "Yeah."

She gave a deep sigh as James prepared, like some fans, to leave the stadium. She grabbed his hand and sat him back down on the stands. She explained her reason for staying put "But we can't quit on Kimmie now. We have to stand by her side, even if we lose by 40 points. So we are not leaving this stadium until the final horn sounds."

James was cheered up with his wife's courage. "Oh, I love you, Anne!" He then gave her a brief kiss and the two watched as South Panola's band exited the stadium

As Camille finished up her food, she gave her evil smirk. She finalized the primary target and time where Kim and Tara were most vulnerable against: the Possible Household, tonight after the game.

She planned that while the Possibles were drowning their sorrows at Bueno Nacho, the deb would rob the Possible family blind of some of their most treasured heirlooms and valuables at their house, where it was the cover of night and that she would be under the influence of her shape-shifting ability. Now as she moved down the bleachers back to the track, she immediately gave a brief glare at Tara.

Camille immediately knew her target for her shape-shifting ability: Tara Queen.

_After Game 4, Tara's life is history, _she smiled to herself, _Bitch, I hope you enjoy the smell of an orange jumpsuit and itchy prison blankets._

As the two teams took to the field for the second half, Camille patiently awaited Tara's fall from grace.

She covered all her dark intentions as she continued her charade as a happy cheerleader as the Mad Dogs took to the field.

Kim never noticed all of this treachery from Camille.

Tara's sitch was about to become bigger than she ever imaged before in her life.


	77. Game 4 Quarter 3: Doghouse Blues

As Junior sat besides Wanda Rockwaller, he looked on and cheered as Bonnie performed several cartwheels when the Mad Dogs took to the field. He clapped wildly for his new friend.

Kim was still carrying the large white Middleton banner up high, thinking that the Mad Dogs might have a chance to come back.

The Tigers then took to the field from the south end zone, wanting to run the Mad Dogs out of their own field with a huge loss.

About 7,000 fans remained throughout the home stands, anticipating the second half kickoff.

Unfortunately for the Mad Dogs, South Panola would get the ball first, which means the Mad Dogs had to stop them here.

--SP ball--

Charlie was back to kick for Middleton while Deangelo was ready to return it. He kicked the ball off in the increasing wind to the Tiger quarterback at the Tiger 4. Deangelo returned the ball to the Tiger 20 where Milo stopped him there.

The Tiger offensive starters were still on the field. So was the Mad Dog defense as they were trying to stop this unstoppable Tiger rushing attack.

On first down for the Tigers at their own 20, Darius got the first carry of the second half up the middle. He picked up 5 yards before Jimmie stopped him at the 25.

Evan then got the next handoff from Darius on 2nd and 5. He spotted an open hole in the weak right side of the Mad Dog defense. Francis provided a key block to allow the junior fullback/linebacker to break loose. He then turned up the jets and headed towards Mad Dog territory. The Mad Dog defense tried to stop him, but Evan was too fast for them. Ron and Vince was hot on his tail but Evan ran out-of-bounds at the Middleton sideline at the Mad Dog 41 for a gain of 34 yards. He stopped the clock with 11:17 left in the quarter. With that run, Evan severely damaged the Mad Dogs' hopes of even mounting a comeback.

The Mad Dog fans gave a loud groaning before the chain gang spotted the ball at the Middleton 41.

After his long run, Evan decided to try that same play again. The play clock dwindled to 14 seconds before the ball was snapped. Deangelo then gave it off to number 4 for the Tigers. The white jersey of number 4 collided with three Mad Dogs before he was brought down at the Middleton 34-yard-line. It was a gain of 7 before TJ and Vince combined on the stop for Middleton.

On 2nd and 3. Deangelo, already having the time of his life, ran an option keeper and picked up 2 yards to the 32 before Ralph stopped him a yard shy of the first down.

Ash subbed in for Evan at fullback for the Tigers. It was an all-important 3rd and 1 conversion. It was the Mad Dogs' last chance to stop the Tigers. There were ten minutes and 29 seconds left on the clock.

As the play clock ran down to three seconds, the ball was snapped. Ash got the carry and all hopes of finishing up the Mad Dogs in Game 4. He powered his way through the line of scrimmage. The white jersey of number 18 collided with several Mad Dogs. All of Ash's 225-pounds netted the Tigers 2 more yards to the totals. Mad Dog Nation was in complete disbelief. Ash picked up the first down. Mikey stopped him at the Mad Dog 30.

The Mad Dogs could not seem to stop the Tigers' ground attack that has made tonight a living hell for them.

On first down, the Tigers were going to run another play when, all of a sudden, a Mad Dog defender jumped offsides at Deangelo's loud HUT!. Flags flew once again for Middleton's eighth penalty

OFFSIDES, NUMBER 57 ON THE DEFENSE, 5 YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN.

Butters Stotch lowered his head in shame when he moved offsides. "Aw, hamburgers" was all that he uttered from his mouth.

The Tigers got five free yards due to Butters' error and moved the ball to the 25.

Ash came back in for Evan for the Tigers .

On first and 5, Evan got another carry again and busted through the left side of the Middleton defense. Ron took Evan down at the Mad Dog 14 but not before the white number 4 Tiger Jersey picked up 11 more yards and another Tiger first down. Evan also became the third Tiger ballcarrier to soar over 100 yards.

It seems like we have lead in our shoes, Ron said to himself. He has mud and grass stains over his jersey, but it felt like that he earned it for nothing tonight.

Meanwhile, on the Tiger sideline, Coach Woods was walking up and down. He saw his backup Tiger quarterback, Ray Tatum, sipping on his water bottle. He was waiting for the perfect time to come into the game for Deangelo.

Deangelo gave the ball to Darius on the next play and picked up another 11 yards to the Mad Dog 3. Ron made another stop but he felt like that even "Unstoppable" Stoppable cannot win all the Mad Dogs' ballgames by relying up on his skills alone. They would have to act as one united team in order for them to beat the Tigers.

This was the perfect time for Coach Woods to call a timeout with 9:09 remaining in the third. Deangelo, seeing that his 153 yards on the ground, 16 yards in the air, and an interception was enough work for tonight, gave a number 1 gesture in the air, signaling who was the most dominant team in the nation.

"Voodoo," Coach Woods said to Ray, "you're up." Ray put his Tiger helmet embroided with pride stickers of paw prints over his head. Deangelo gave him a high five, signifying that Ray was the new signal-caller for the Tigers.

Kim saw the white Tiger jersey of number 16 exit the game and the white Tiger jersey of number 9 enter into the game. Then, she spotted the football at the Mad Dog 3. This meant only one thought in her mind: The Tigers are going to score again, I just have that feeling. I know that we are going to lose the game, but we have to keep on fighting. She raised her pom-poms in the air as the Mad Dog cheer squad echoed : DEFENSE! DEFENSE!!

On first and goal from the Mad Dog 3, Darius noticed that Ray was coming into the huddle. He came in with the two extra tight ends, Viktor and Cecil. The two Tiger wideouts went out.

"Ray, which play are we running?" Darius asked the backup QB.

"9 Option Right." Ray said. "Everyone, block for me."

The Tiger huddle broke as the timeout expired. Ray lined up behind Dudley Dursley at center.

"Set, Hut!!" Ray barked and snapped the ball with 11 seconds on the play clock. He followed his blockers as he went to the right side of the Mad Dog defense. He went into the end zone, unopposed, for the Tigers' sixth rushing touchdown of the game.

Ray had scored a three-yard run on his very first carry as the ballcarrier tonight with 9:02 left in the quarter.

"Touchdown, South Panola". Mr. Berry said as the South Panola side of Middleton High Stadium exploded with cheers once again.

Felix rubbed his eyes in disbelief at the new score: South Panola 40, Middleton 7, pending the PAT.

The wind increased to 12 mph when Coach Woods signaled two fingers in the air: a two-point conversion.

Ray was under center for the two-point conversion with the same personell. He ran to the left side of the Mad Dog defense. He picked up a good block from Burris and got the two-point conversion.

The score was now: South Panola 42, Middleton 7.

Sensing that a defeat was imminent, the crowd slowly but surely filed for the exits. Even a few of the Mad Dog cheerleaders were hanging their heads in shame.

Kim knew that, now at this point, the only thing that the Mad Dogs were fighting for in Game 4 was for pride and spirit. On the outside, she still cheered for her beloved Ron and the Mad Dogs, but on the inside her heart was filled with sorrow. A perfect blues song was in the making in her mind. It was titled The Doghouse Blues. All she needed were the lyrics. It didn't take her long to look at the defeated faces of the football players to think of some notes.

Bonnie, even though the Mad Dogs were losing badly, was in the best emotional shape of her life. It felt like that she had finally met the perfect man. Junior, from the bleachers, saw Bonnie on the track, still in high spirits. After introducing herself to Mrs. Rockwaller, all he could do was to look at her for the longest time of his life.

-- MID ball --

After Coach Barkin gave angry looks to the defensive starters, he sent in his kickoff unit.

Ted kicked the ball into the increasing wind as Ron fielded the kick at the 3; He made one Tiger defender miss before being brought down on the 32 by a backup Tiger cornerback, Rakim Austin. It was a 29-yard return, not what the Mad Dogs needed.

Still, Kim cheered him on, which gave him enough strength to prevent himself from breaking down.

Now realizing that, with the score 42-7 in favor of the Tigers, the Mad Dogs were going to play to the best of their ability, even if they lose. The Mad Dog offensive starters, including Ron, were still in the huddle. The Tigers brought in some of their second-team defense to give its backups some playing time with 8:51 left in the third.

On first and 10 from the 32. Ron, once again, tried to break through the tough Tiger defense, which, by now, had swapped out several of its starters. He took the handoff from Stan and was able to cut through the Tiger defenders to the left for a gain of 11 yards and a first down before Germichael Diggs, a backup Tiger linebacker, got credit for the stop at the 43. The fans applauded for their star captain for his hard efforts, but it was far too little, far too late.

Ron then got the handoff again up the middle and picked up 4 yards as Damon stopped him at the Mad Dog 47.

On 2nd and 6, Troy got the fullback handoff and ran up the middle but picked up only 1 yard as Nelson Muntz and Justin Wilkes combined on the stop.

Third and 5 came up for the Mad Dogs. Coach Barkin wanted this third down conversion so much for his team with 7:31 left in the third. Stan dropped back to pass. He felt the pressure from the Tiger ends descening upon him. He threw the ball just in time as the Tiger ends stopped. Ladrecius caught the pass and was taken down by Dontrell at the Tiger 42. Already having the 98-yard touchdown run to his name, Dontrell ust added up another stat for Felix's statbook. It was a 10-yard pass play and another first down, but the clock was rapidly approaching seven minutes.

Going into the hurry-up offense, the Mad Dogs ran another play with Ron, running through his tired 185-pound body against the armada of the Tigers defense for a hard-fought 3 yards before Evan brought him down.

On 2nd and 7 from the Tiger 39, the Mad Dogs showed a shotgun formation with Troy and Ron sandwiched between Stan. Stan snapped the ball with 9 seconds on the play-clock. He released the football as the pocket was near its collapse. The football found its intended receiver .... into the arms of Dontrell for an interception at the Tiger 20, the third Mad Dog turnover of the ballgame, with 6:49 left in the period. All Ron heard was the echoing of groans on the home side. He headed back out to the defensive side, thinking of the speech that he wants to give to his team after the game ended.

Kim dropped her pom-poms and briefly buried her face in her hands in disbelief before picking them back up.

Coach Barkin then gave his angry stern look at the Mad Dog offense as well. He was not happy at all with both sides of the football.

--SP ball--

The Tigers, now that they have established all of the second-team offense, now took to the field under the command of Ray Tatum. Blaise and Ash lined up behind Ray. All they wanted to do was to wear down the clock.

On first and 10, Ray handed the ball off to Blaise for his first carry of the ballgame. Blaise was stopped behind the line for a loss of 3 yards as Kenny and Butters stopped him cold at the Tiger 26.

Ray then carried the ball himself on second and 13. He went to the left of the Mad Dog defense as he picked up 9 yards to the Tiger 35. Vince stopped him right there to bring up a 3rd and four situation.

Ray dropped back to pass, to the surpise of everyone, on 3rd and 4. He threw it into the direction of his receiver, Anthony Butler. However, Ron, determined to stop the drive, deflected the pass. It fell incompete and the Tigers had to go three-and-out.

Ash kicked into the increasing wind. With help from the wind and a good bounce, it ended up at the Mad Dog 23. The Tigers downed it right there with 5:12 left in the period. It was a long 41-yard punt by the fullback/punter.

--MID ball--

As the fans continued to leave, Kim and the Mad Dog cheer squad still continued to do their routines. But, deep down inside, they were going through sorrow and pain. Tara felt this feeling the worst because she was the most emotional cheerleader and the most prone to crying bouts. Little did she know that her night was going to become worse ... much worse.

Ladario, instead of Ron, was now the tailback behind Stan in the single-back formation. All 11 of the Tigers' second-team defense was now present.

The Mad Dogs were going to run their first play of the drive when penalty flags flew again. Skeeter Valentine twitched before the ball was snapped.

Ron from the sidelines couldn't believe this, _Oh, no, not another one!_

The official made his call:

FALSE START ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 79, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN!

It was penalty number nine for the Mad Dogs.

So after the call was made, the ball moved back to the Mad Dog 18-yard-line.

On first and 15, Ladario got another handoff from Stan and gashed up the middle for a gain of 8 yards as Germichael stopped him at the 26.

Stan then dropped back to pass on 2nd and 7, but he found himself under heavy pressure from Justin. The white untucked number 77 Tiger jesey pursued Stan until he was sacked at the Mad Dog 20 for a 6-yard loss.

On 3rd and 13, Coach Barkin called in a 4-wide set with 4:14 left in the quarter.

"Stoppable, you're up!" Barkin commanded to Ron. Ron put on his Mad Dog helmet and the familiar number 7 jersey came in along with Lance Jackson for the two tight ends. The Tigers, seeing this, sent in their dime package with 6 DBs. About 9 seconds remained on the playclock as the ball was snapped. Stan dropped back to pass, hopefully to avoid any more abuse. He spotted Ron in the open and tried to throw in his direction, but Hector Zeroni came in and deflected the ball away from Ron's direction with his hand. The ball innocently landed on the grassy turf. The Mad Dog crowd gave another loud groan as Ron went back to the sidelines. The Mad Dogs would have to go three-and-out again.

_Man, being a football captain is tougher than I thought, _he said to himself as he gave a deep sigh.

David punted 45 yards where the ball landed upon the Tiger 35 where it was downed with 3:45 left in the third.

--SP ball--

The Tiger offensive subs then took to the field.

The Mad Dogs put in some of their second-team defense. They were playing for Mad Dog pride.

In the meantine, the wind started to pick up. All the Tigers wanted to do was to run down the clock as soon as they can. Ray now had Ethan Robinson and Ricky Griffin as the new running backs behind him

On the first play of the drive from the 35, Ethan got the handoff up the middle and picked up 3 yards as Cory Baxter, a backup Mad Dog lineman, and Butters combined on the stop at the 38.

The clock continued to wear down under three minutes. On 2nd and 7, Ricky again went up the middle but Kyle Broflovski stopped him at the line of scrimmage for no gain.

On 3rd and 7, Ray waited until the play clock went down to one and then he snapped the ball. On the quarterback keeper, he was pushed back behind the line of scrimmage by Brock Kelley at the Tiger 36.

The Tigers then punted the ball away. Ash kicked the ball away to the Mad Dogs 31 for 33 yards as Ron prepared to return the kick. The captain took the ball and returned it 5 yards to the Mad Dog 38, where Draco Malfoy, a third-string Tiger linebacker, came with the special teams tackle.

--MID ball--

Only 1:36 remained in the third quarter and the Tigers seemed to have wrapped this one up.

Coach Barkin, looking at the disappointed face of Stan, the junior quarterback, decided that he had endured enough and sent in Axel as the new Mad Dog quarterback. He still sent in his other starters.

Some of South Panola's second-team defense looked at the Mad Dog crowd. Some of the crowd had left, yet there were still 4,000 fans to cheer on the Mad Dogs.

Kim turned around and raised her pom-poms in the air as her boyfriend returned to the offensive huddle.

On first down from the Mad Dog 38, Axel gave his first handoff to Ron, who took it up the middle. Spike Hammersmith drilled Ron at the Mad Dog 41. It was a gain of only 3 yards.

Second and 7 saw Troy take it again up the middle but the Tigers' defense immediately consumed him behind the line of scrimmage. Nelson Muntz gained credit for the tackle as he dropped Troy for a loss of 2 yards to the 39.

On 3rd and 9, Axel went back to pass for the first time in an already lost game. He scanned the field for any open receivers and found Milo in the open. He let go of the football, hoping that the sophomore wideout would catch it. Milo had the ball in his hands and then he dropped it, which would set up another fourth-down scenario.

Ron, with his head down, returned to the sidelines. All he could do was bow his head and there was nothing more to it. He was done for the night. Kim, in her mind, prepared to incorporate it into all of the Mad Dogs' sorrow.

David punted it deep into Tiger territory for 46 yards to the South Panola 15-yard line where Ray returned it 8 yards to the Tiger 23. Jimmie Zara, the backup fullback, made the stop for the Mad Dogs.

--SP ball--

With only 14 seconds remaining, Coach Barkin sent in his full second-team Mad Dog defense to hopefully salvage anything.

The final play of the quarter was when Ray kept the option himself for the Tigers and picked up 8 yards to the Tiger 31 before Tracey stopped him.

As the horn signaled the end of the third quarter, the Mad Dog players and cheerleaders looked liked that they were on their way to one of their worst home losses in the program's history.

Tara felt the pain in her heart just to even look at the scoreboard.

The score at the end of the third quarter was: the South Panola Tigers 42, the Middleton Mad Dogs 7.


	78. Game 4 Quarter 4: Blonde Cries on Track

the fourth quarter dawned upon the Mad Dogs, the only thing that the 3,000 fans remaining in the home stands had their minds on was when the strong cold front was going to come through. These fans, the strongest of the Mad Dog nation, stayed for the remainder of the game.

Kim could only watch from the sidelines as the Tigers now had possession of the ball and the five-touchdown lead. The yellow bulbs of the scoreboard told the sitch to her: Home 7, Visitors 42. The increasing wind was blowing her long red hair to the south. Only her Mad Dog cheer ribbon held it down.

In the stands, Junior puts his arms on the railing, his hands on the sides of his face. He was struck with love for Bonnie. Mrs. Rockwaller looked on at her Bon-Bon, sipping on her water bottle as she took a break from cheering. She was completely out of breath.

Bonnie, herself, also felt the south wind blow against her hair. She knew the storms were approaching Middleton soon.

On the first play of the final quarter, a 2nd and two conversion, Blaise took the handoff from Ray and picked up 4 yards to the Tiger 35 and picked up the Tiger first down. Wyatt Williams, one of the backups, made the stop for the Mad Dogs.

Todd Snap was the third Tiger fullback to enter the game.

Then, on the next play, Coach Woods called in a "5 Right Counter". Blaise looked at his head coach and nodded his head. With 11:39 left in the game, Ray came up under center as he waited for the play clock to drain to two seconds before the ball was snapped. He gave the ball to Blaise and he cut to his left. JR Wagner provided the key block on that left side and Blaise cut through the Mad Dog defense and went into the open field. The junior tailback picked up the first down and a whole lot more. He broke a tackle from Oliver Oken. The white jersey of number 5 went down to midfield, the 45, 40, 35. It felt like no one can touch Blaise. Dean Thomas was there to make the touchdown-saving tackle at the Mad Dog 25. Blaise picked up a total of 40 yards on that run.

While the play was in progress, Tara dropped her jaw and dropped both her pom-poms. It seemed that this horrible night would never end for her.

On first and 10 from the Middleton 25-yardline. Ray then gave the ball off to Todd on a fullback blast play. The fullback rumbled through the Middleton defense up the middle to the Mad Dog 17 for an 8-yard gain before Kyle stopped him.

On 2nd and 2, Todd took the handoff again from Ray and went to the right side. Picking up a block from Cecil, Todd sprang loose. Kyle tried to bring him down but Todd stiff-armed him to the ground.

Kim, Bonnie, and the rest of the cheer squad only witnessed in stunned silence as Todd crossed the goal-line. Both of the ref's hands shot up in the air. She stared from end to end on the home side of the stadium. The stadium lights temporarily blinded her before she shielded her eyes with her hand.

Kim had never seen so few fans on Middleton's stands in her whole life.

"Touchdown, South Panola," Mr. Berry announced through the loudspeakers. Todd Snap had scored on a 17-yard touchdown run on only his second carry with 10:39 left in the ballgame.

The Tigers fans celebrated their seventh rushing touchdown of the ballgame. The Tiger flags flew in jubilant celebration in the prevailing winds across the visitor's side of the track. Coach Woods prepared to send in his third-string Tigers to play for the remaining time on the game clock.

Joss, who was sitting next to Slim, rubbed her eyes in a shocked look.

"Wow, them Tigers are killin' us back here!" Joss exclaimed as she stared at the scoreboard.

The score was now 48-7 in favor of the Tigers, pending the conversion.

Coach Woods lined up his players for the two-point conversion. Ray got the snap off and handed it off to Blaise, hoping to convert. However, Ladarius stopped Blaise behind the line of scrimmage.

Ron breathed in a long exhausting sigh as the wind continued to mess with his blond hair.

The score stood: South Panola 48, Middleton 7.

--MID ball--

As the kickoff teams took to the field, Kim noticed two familiar Mad Dog jersey numbers to receive the kick, numbers 81 and 87.

She gasped. It's the Tweebs returning the kick. Mr. Berry confirmed that it was Tim and Jim Possible returning the kick for the Mad Dogs.

The Tigers kicked it off. Tim got the ball at the Mad Dog 9, He broke through one tackle before two Tigers, Moe Dixon and Rashad Gleaton, brought him down at the 33. It was a 24 yard return. Kim could hear some applause from the remaining Mad Dogs fans. James and Anne were cheering and whistling for their two sons as they both returned to the sidelines.

Coach Barkin now put Jimmie Zara and Zeke Baylor at tailback behind Axel as the second-team offense came in. The Tigers' third-stringers came in for the drive.

On first down, Axel, still under center, took the option keeper and picked up a couple of good blocks. The Tigers swarmed all over Axel Axel powered his way to the Mad Dog 41 for an 8-yard gain. Rakim Austin and Junior Silverio converged on the stop for the Tigers.

Axel then gave the ball off to Jimmie up the middle. Jimmie pounded his way against the Tiger defensive line for a Mad Dog first down to the 45. He gained 4 yards as Draco made the tackle for South Panola.

On the next play, Zeke got his chance to carry the ball. He found a good opening in the left side of the Tiger defense and tore through into the secondary. Timothy Davis, a freshman cornerback, gained credit for the tackle at the Tiger 36. Zeke picked up 19 yards and another Mad Dog first down.

Zeke then got his next carry with 9:07 left. Thanks to excellent blocks from Boomer Bledsoe and Fulton Reed, Zeke found an open hole up the middle and blasted through the entire Tiger defense. He went into the end zone, untouched, for a Mad Dog touchdown.

"TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS!" Mr. Berry exclaimed. This was the first time since the second quarter that he had uttered those three words in an exciting manner.

Zeke scored on a 36-yard touchdown run with 8:55 remaining in the game for one of the few bright spots for Middleton High tonight.

The fans that still remained scattered throughout the home stands cheered. Kim and some of the Mad Dog cheer squad waved their pom-poms in the windy air to celebrate Zeke's touchdown, but there was little cause for celebration.

Coach Barkin then signaled two fingers in the air. He was going for the two-point conversion for two reasons. One, the increasing wind has made it difficult to kick point afters and two, it was to make the score at least a little bit more respectable. So, thus, he sent in his offense on the field.

Axel lined up under center behind Boomer. The ball was snapped with four ticks on the play clock. Axel took the carry himself and ran to the right corner of the end zone. The two points were good but it changed very little.

The score was now: South Panola 48, Middleton 15

--SP ball--

Charlie kicked it straight up in the air to the Tiger 2 where Xavier Connor was waiting. The sophomore returned the kick 17 yards to the Tiger 19 before Jackson Stewart took him down.

The Tigers now had their second-team resting. The third-team offense came onto the field. Ben was the Tiger quarterback for the remainder of the game.

As the game clock drained its ticking seconds away, the lyrics to Kim's blues song were almost complete. Kim, Bonnie and the rest of the Mad Dog cheerleaders can do now was to sit on the cold gravel track and watch for the remaining 8:46 of the game. Camille, meanwhile, ticked down those painful minutes and seconds to herself to initiate her plan to finally put away Tara for good.

Although he didn't break down and scream his throat off in Game 2, Ron gave a deep sigh and gave a loud groan. For the second time in this series, he was reduced to being a spectator in a blowout loss.

Moe and Bordario Jackson were behind Xavier as the Tiger running backs.

The first play of the drive was a fullback handoff to Moe up the middle. Moe carried it to the Tiger 25 for a gain of 6 yards as Jackson and Jonesy Garcia combined on the stop.

On 2nd and 4, Xavier decided to utilize the quarterback option. He picked up huge blocks from Neville Longbottom and Gary Oak and both linemen opened up a huge hole for the third-string quarterback. Xavier exploited the hole and blew by the Mad Dog defenders. He picked up the first down and a lot more. Xavier broke one tackle before Tino Tonitini was able to bring him down at the Tiger 47. It was a 22-yard gain and a Tiger first down.

After Xavier's run, he ran the same option play again on first down. This time, he picked up just 5 yards as Josh Mankey stopped him at the Mad Dog 48.

Even Ben was having fun with the Mad Dog defense. The Tigers continued to add up more rushing yards to their totals for Game 4.

Second and 5 saw Moe get the handoff from Ben. He rumbled up the middle and gained 4 yards before William White recorded the tackle at the Middleton 44-yard line.

As the Tigers crept deeper into Mad Dog territory,Coach Barkin called in a timeout with 6:49 left in the ballgame on this 3rd and one conversion. He wanted to hold the Tigers right here to prevent them from going over 50 points. However, all the Tigers did during the timeout was, like in Game 2, to bring in new faces into the game.

After the Middleton timeout expired, the Tigers went back into the huddle. Xavier, once again, gave it off to Moe and picked up the first down and gained 7 on the run to the Mad Dog 37 before Josh and Bridon Guermo combined on the stop for Middleton.

All Barkin could do was to give a deep sigh. He was going to do a lot of explaining to his players about being overconfident that just the combination of Ron and the Dog Pound would stop one of the best football programs that they have experienced in their entire history.

Bordario then got his first carry of the ballgame as a Tiger on first down. He went to the left guard and picked up 3 yards to the Mad Dog 34 as Zeke gained credit on the tackle for the Mad Dogs.

On 2nd and 7, the Tigers decided to drain the play clock all the way to 1 second before Ben ran another option play. It went to the left as Ben picked up 12 more yards on the ground and another Tiger first down to the Mad Dog 22 as Gerald Johanssen brought him down. Now, about 5:58 remained in the game.

It was now first down as Norton Williams took Bordario's place at tailback for a brief time. He went up the middle and gained only 1 yard to the 21 as Jude Lizowski stopped him.

Quinterious Lee, the only remaining Tiger tailback that hasn't carried yet, then took the place of Moe for the next couple of plays with 5:15 left.

Quinterious went up the middle on 2nd and 9 and didn't pick up anything as Bridon stuffed him for no gain.

On 3rd and 9, the Tigers prepared to run the clock down even further but there was movement on the line:

FALSE START, NUMBER 74 ON THE OFFENSE, FIVE-YARD PENALTY, STILL THIRD DOWN.

Neville was charged with early movement.

After the penalty, it was 3rd and 14 on the Mad Dog 26. Xavier kept the option on the third-down conversion and picked up 8 before Jonesy stopped him at the 18 with 4:07 left.

As a 4th and 6 conversion came, there were no chants of "DEFENSE" from the Mad Dog stands because only 2000 fans remained in the stands, much less than that of the Tigers' crowd.

Quinterious ran up the middle and picked up just 2 yards before being stuffed by Buzz Winters and Bridon at the 16.

The Tigers turned it over on downs with 3:21 left in the game, but the offense has done enough damage to the Mad Dog defense for tonight.

--MID ball--

Felix had been watching the entire time from the press box. He turned to the scoreboard and then to the stats that he compiled during the game. His eyes opened wide. There was one particular stat that he simply stared at the most in disbelief: South Panola's rushing totals for tonight. It was higher than that of Game 2.

Garbage time was in order for the Mad Dogs as Coach Barkin called up his third quarterback of the ballgame, Brick Flagg. Dwayne Robertson was the new tailback for Middleton.

The third-string Tiger defense reappeared onto the field. Coach Woods wanted to empty out as much of South Panola's roster as he can.

All Camille can think in her head was of her plans of robbing the Possibles' house would be a success and she would get away scot-free.

On first down from the Mad Dog 16, Dwayne saw his first action as he carried the ball up the middle to the Mad Dog 21 for a 5-yard gain. Casey Harris stopped him right there for the Tigers.

Dwayne then got another handoff up the middle and added up 3 yards to the his totals before Percy Femur and Gregory Goyle combined on the stop for South Panola. This set up a third and two conversion at the Mad Dog 24.

Brick then decided to keep the ball for himself on the next play. The Mad Dogs' line gave him enough room to squeeze through for the first down. He picked up 4 yards on the play and moved the ball to the 28. Eric Cartman tackled him down as the clock moved to 1:35.

Then, Brick dropped back to pass for the first time in his career. He found the other Tweeb in the Possible family, Jim Possible, in one-on-one coverage with Kesrick Humphrey. He threw down the middle and Jim caught it at the 37. He advanced a few more yards before Kesrick brought him down to the turf at the Mad Dog 43. It was an 15-yard gain as Anne and James rooted on their two sons. Kim gave a deep sigh, Even the Tweebs are having a better night than I have.

On first down, Chad Danforth came in for Dwayne as the Middleton tailback as the clock went to 53 seconds. Chad got the handoff and went to the left guard. Mario Lee came on run support for the Tigers and brought him down to the Mad Dog 49-yard line for a 6-yard gain.

At the Tigers' sidelines, Chumley Huffington and Neville lifted the nearest Gatorade cooler filled with Gatorade. They gave Coach Woods his Gatorade bath. It was a fitting end to a near-perfect performance for South Panola.

For the final play, Brick gave the ball off to Jimmie Zara up the middle for a fullback handoff. Jimmie was stuffed at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Trent Boyett and Scut Farkas combined on the stop.

Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and the other cheerleaders only stared at the scoreboard as the final seconds dwindled down in Game 4.

As the game clock read 0:00, the final horn signaled the end of the game.

Both Coach Woods and Coach Barkin congradulated each other and the Tigers players shook hands with the Mad Dog players.

As the final buzzer sounded throughout Middleton High Stadium, there were two opposing reactions to the final result.

For the South Panola side, there was wild jubilation from the players, cheerleaders, and the Tiger fans. They had completed one of the best performances on the road ever.

However, there was a different reaction on the Middleton side: fans, players, and cheerleaders alike.

Zita just simply covered her face with her hands. Monique was sitting next to her.

"Well, this it is. The worst loss in Middleton High Stadium in eight years. I just can't believe it, but there it is, there's the proof." Zita said as she pointed at the Mad Dog scoreboard.

"Why don't we do this? Let's try to forget it by going to Bueno Nacho." Monique responded, trying to comfort Zita in any way possible.

"OK, Monique, but I don't think I am going to forget this game for as long as I live." Zita said as she stood up from the cold metal stands.

Both of the girls headed for the exits to go to Bueno Nacho to drown out their hard sorrows in nacos and melted cheese.

Rufus groaned as he held a tiny black pennant in white letters. "DEFEAT" was written on it. He can't wait for the smell of Nacos at Bueno Nacho either. The taste of melted cheese tasted far better than the bitter taste of defeat for him. The Stoppable carried their son's pet mole rat out the stadium.

Junior gave a deep sigh on two sides. On one side side, he was overwhelmed by the final result on the Mad Dog scoreboard. On the other side, the deep sigh also meant a signaling of a beautiful friendship with Bonnie Rockwaller, one of the prettiest cheerleaders he had ever seen in his life. He left along with Wanda Rockwaller and prepared to call up his father to pick him up in front of the school.

Slim and Joss descended from the top of the stands and went to the row where James and Anne were at. Both of the Possible parents stared at the the glowing electricity of the scoreboard. It explained to them all of the Mad Dogs' pain and humiliation in one night.

Slim took a deep breath and told his brother. "Howdy, squirt. I'm taking Joss on over to Bueno Nacho. She needs some grub in her stomach."

James gave a deep sigh, "Well, Slim. That's where we're going as well." Anne nodded her head in agreement.

All four members of the Possible family remained in the stands well after the game. They arranged a meeting place in front of the school so that they would meet up with Kim and the Tweebs so that they can head out to Bueno Nacho.

On the track, the Mad Dog cheerleaders, in a mood almost similar to that of Game 2, picked up their discarded pom-poms. Kim hardly said a word as she put her pom-poms and placed them in her cheer bag. She then noticed from the small opening from her handbag a piece of silver making a glare at her eyes through the stadium lights. It was her harmonica. This reminded her of one thing: her blues song. Oh, right, my harmonica. I almost forgot. I needed just a couple of more lyrics to complete my "Doghouse Blues" song. She sighed as she gazed at the ominous skies. The wind completely blew against her.

The Mad Dog players headed towards the gym. Ron immediately caught the attention of his girlfriend and waved at her. Kim noticed the battered jersey of number 7 and waved back at her boyfriend. This was one of the few highlights of an otherwise dismal night.

Bonnie had a sad look on her face as well. She had never seen a sight such as this in Middleton, the very same area that she had lived almost all her life.

Yet, the most broken Mad Dog cheerleader of them all was Tara. After the final horn, she was unable to pick up her pom-poms. She collapsed on the track and began to cry. Her tears from her blue eyes eroded the pride sticker of the Mad Dog as they trickled down her face and they landed on the cold asphalt of the track.

"NOOO!! HOW COULD WE LOSE LIKE THAT?!?!" Tara screamed at the top of her lungs before she let out another huge bawl. She pounded her fists against the track again and again. Kim and Bonnie helped

their fellow cheering co-captain by the shoulders. With that support, Tara stood up from her collapsed position on the track. Kim and Bonnie had depressed looks on their faces, yet they maintained their emotional composure. Tara was still sobbing heavily even when being supported by her two very best friends on her frail shoulders.

Camille noticed the sight of Tara crying. She, too, was a little upset that her Mad Dogs got blown out, but it didn't matter to her. Using her shape-shifiting surgery in order to rob the Possibles blind and pinning the blame on Tara would be a simpler task than she previously thought.

Because of, like, her fragile emotional state, a picture of her being carted away by the police would be like the perfect mount for the wall over my bed, Camille smiled on the inside. Her plans against Tara were moving into their next phase.

The final score for Game 4 from Middleton High Stadium was: the South Panola Tigers 48, the Middleton Mad Dogs 15.


	79. A New Record For the Tigers

n the Middleton press box, Felix was in the stats room with John. He had just printed out the final stats for Game 4.

Felix closed out his stats program and his laptop. He was clearly speechless about the final score, but another thing had caught his attention.

For this moment, his eyes were glued to all those players the Tigers used to run the football and the yards that they had comiled.

He came to the PA room where Mr. Berry was at.

"Hey, Felix, got those stats?" Mr. Berry called out to Felix from the entrance of the door.

"Yes, sir." Felix replied. He handed Mr. Berry the stats as he and John headed out to the elevator in the back of the press box so that he could meet up with Kim and the others.

Mr. Berry pressed the red "ON" button on the microphone, cleared his throat, and announced the stats throughout the stadium:

"Your final score for Game 4 in the MHSAA football series is the South Panola Tigers 48, and your Middleton Mad Dogs 15, and here are tonight's stats.

"For your Mad Dogs on the ground, Ron "Unstoppable" Stoppable led the team with 96 yards on 15 carries; Zeke Baylor had 55 yards on two carries and one touchdown; Ladario Weathers had 26 yards on four carries, Stan Marsh had 13 yards on six carries; Dwayne Robertson had eight yards on two carries; Axel Brodie had eight yards on one carry; Chad Danforth had six yards on one carry; Brick Flagg had four yards on one carry; Jimmie Zara had four yards on two carries and Troy Bolton had no yards on five carries. In all, your Mad Dogs had 220 yards on 39 carries and one touchdown."

Then he came to South Panola's rushing numbers:

"For the Tigers on the ground, Deangelo Young had 153 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns; TJ Avery had 119 yards on three carries and one touchdown; Evan Nordan had 106 yards on nine carries and one touchdown; Darius Griffin had 63 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown; Ben Nordan had 47 yards on four carries; Blaise Zabini had 41 yards on three carries; Todd Snap had 25 yards on two carries and one touchdown; Ray Tatum had 18 yards on four carries and one touchdown; Ash Ketchum had 17 yards on four carries; Moe Turner had 17 yards on three carries, Bordario Jackson had three yards on one carry; Ethan Robertson had three yards on one carry; Quinterious Lee had two yards on two carries; Norton Williams had one yard on one carry and Ricky Griffin had no yards on one carry. In all, the Tigers have 615 yards on 60 carries and seven touchdowns.

"For your Mad Dogs through the air, Marsh was three of 10 for 42 yards and one touchdown with two picks; Brodie's only pass was incomplete and Flagg completed his only pass for 15 yards. In all, your Mad Dogs had completed just four of 12 passes for 57 yards and one touchdown with two picks. Stacey Logan had two catches for 27 yards; Carver Descartes had one catch for 15 yards, and Jim Possible also had one catch for 15 yards.

"For the Tigers in passing, Young completed his only pass to Karl Branting for 16 yards and Tatum's only pass was incomplete. In all, the Tigers completed one of two passes for 16 yards.

"In total offense, your Mad Dogs had 277 yards on 51 plays while the Tigers gained 631 yards on 62 plays."

"Game 5 will be on Monday night here at Middleton High Stadium. Please drive home and buckle up safely."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the rushing numbers for South Panola were announced, Kim dropped her jaw. She had never heard that many rushing yards compiled against the Mad Dogs in her life. If only Coach Barkin would've worked on our rushing defense we could've had a chance to stop them. She gave a long deep breath. "This whole game has been so the drama." She could probably agree with the rest of Mad Dog Nation.

Then, Mr. Berry announced even more bad news to what remained of the Mad Dog faithful, "The 615 yards gained on the ground by the Tigers ... is the most rushing yards allowed by the Mad Dogs in the history of the football program."

Bonnie, along with Sharpay and Caitlin, was trying to calm down a sobbing Tara when the dreaded announcement was made.

As the sound of "615 yards ... rushing" traveled through her ears, Tara emitted another crying outburst.

"HOW CAN WE GIVE UP SO MANY RUSHING YARDS IN THE DOG POUND?!?!?! THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN TO US!!! HOW CAN WE BEAT THE TIGERS NOW ?!?!?! WAAAHHHH!!!!" Tara cried loudly through her tears as she collapsed into the arms of Bonnie. Jessica, who happed to pass by Tara, immediately searched through her handbag for a pack of travel tissues. She felt the plastic on her hands and got out the pack of tissues. She gave a sheet to Tara.

"Thanks, Jessica," Tara sniffled as she tried to dry her eyes. The sheet of tissue was becoming stained with her teardrops.

"You're welcome, Tara," Jessica said as she shared the same shocked look as some of the other cheerleaders. "Here, Tara, take the whole pack. You'll probably need it more than I do."

"Oh, Jessica, thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!" Tara exclaimed as she cried into Jessica's arms.

Bonnie and Jessica helped their friend up as Kim called out to the rest of the cheerleaders. Although she didn't cry like Tara did, the tan-skinned co-captain felt like that she wanted to shed some tears of her own as well.

The wind was starting to intensify and the clouds began to darken a little bit. The storms were coming soon.

Even though the stadium lights were still on, the stands were completely empty. The Tiger fans departed from the visitors' stands to celebrate their home-away-from-home victory. Mad Dog Nation was still wallowing in defeat on their own home turf..

Kim, meanwhile, took a deep breath and gathered the cheerleaders in an assembly at midfield on the Mad Dog logo, the very same spot in which she and Ron kissed for the first time. All of the cheerleaders were present. A few of them besides Tara were sobbing and weeping as well. They had their bags ready to either go home or to Bueno Nacho.

The wind was blowing against Kim's cheering skirt. She looked around the empty home stands and then back at the cheerleaders. Her red hair continued to flap in the wind. She shared with them her views of what had happened in tonight's ballgame and what to expect in the near future:

"OK, girls, you know why I have called this assembly. Yes, I know that our Mad Dogs got defeated by the Tigers 48 to 15 in the Dog Pound. And yes, I know that our Mad Dog defense gave up 615 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground to South Panola, but we have to forget about this performance. We have to put this game behind us and concentrate on Game 5. We have to stand strong as a cheer squad and we are going to give it our best out there. If we don't, everything that we have worked so hard to achieve, everything that we have gained will mean nothing. Mad Dog Nation would fall apart if we don't stick together as a team. I don't care if South Panola piles over 600 yards on the ground against us. We are going to cheer on our Mad Dogs, win or lose! Now, lets hear it for our Mad Dogs!!"

The cheerleaders, now fired up with passion, finally got out their pom-poms from the bags and held them up high in the air. All of the cheerleaders chanted at the same time:

Here we go Mad Dogs, here we go !!

Here we go Mad Dogs, here we go !!

We are the Mad Dogs and we are here to say.

The Mad Dogs are coming to play today.

1....2....3 MAD DOGS!!!!!

The cheer squad was now in full spirits on the outside. On the inside, however, they were still full of shock about the Tigers' ability to roll up that many yards against them. Even Kim, who gave a passionate speech about teamwork and unity on the squad, knew deep down that the Tigers' seemingly invincible running game can strike anywhere, even at a stadium as loud as the Dog House at Middleton High.

It won't be easy, but I just know that our Mad Dogs can pull through, Kim thought to herself as she carried her handbag and walked her way out. The rest of the squad followed their leader.

They left the stadium through a gate. It led to a walkway that connected the stadium to the gym.

Camille was the last cheerleader to leave the stadium. She then closed the gate. The cat food deb smirked as she closed it tight.

The stadium janitor, the only person that remained on the field, took his set of master keys and closed up the gate tightly so that no one could get in or out. He then looked on at the tattered banners on both South Panola's side and on Middleton's side. He went to the power switch that controlled the stadium lights and switched them off. Immediately, the bright stadium lights that had illuminated the field for so long dimmed down and then turned off altogether. He then walked to where the front gate was. The janitor then made his way out of the gate and locked it up as well.

As the janitor drove off to his home in his pickup truck that he drove since the 1970s, the wind began to howl through the natural grass turf of the now-darkened Middleton High Stadium.


	80. Defensive Bombardment

In the Mad Dog fieldhouse, where the visitor's locker rooms were at, Coach Woods and his Tigers were all smiles and cheers over this performance.

Coach Woods congradulated his players.

_"That was one of the most impressive performances I have seen out of y'all ever since I have started coaching South Panola football. The 615 yards that you have gained on the ground is third-most in school history, and you should be proud of yourselves! I am also proud of our defense, holding the Mad Dogs to just 15 points. You are 79 of the best players of South Panola football that I have ever seen."_

The Tiger players gave high-fives to each other and remarked "Amen, Coach." in a happy mood.

However, Coach Woods also added in the warning that Mother Nature may intercede for Game 5 on Monday. He looked at the seven-day forecast from Middleton's TV station and that the high Monday would be hovering around 41 degrees with cold rain.

_"However, Mother Nature may interfere with Game 5, so we have to be very careful. We also don't want to get too cocky out there."_

The players agreed. Von Sanford led the team into a brief group prayer. The Tigers did a final huddle: "1.......2......3...... TIGERS!!!!" and then they left to go back to their team hotel to celebrate their victory.

The same cannot be said for Middleton football.

The Mad Dog football players gathered up in the locker room underneath the gym. Some of them were in quite low spirits. They could not believe what had just happened over a span of three hours. The players came into Game 4, confident that they would, in Ron's words at the pep rally, "kick South Panola back to Batesville." Instead, they underestimated their opposition. The Tigers shoved those words down the Mad Dogs' throat. The Mad Dogs' undersized defense allowed a school-record 615 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns en route to a 48-15 defeat in their own stadium. It also included a 71-yard touchdown run by Deangelo Young in the first quarter and a record-settiing 98-yard touchdown run by TJ Avery in the second quarter. Now, the series was even again at two games apiece.

Coach Barkin stormed through the locker room door and slammed the door so hard that it shook the lockers. It assumed that he read Felix's stats and was in boiling rage. His assistant coaches followed him behind. Barkin began to berate his players and raised his voice:

_"Why did you act like a bunch of damn fools for the last 48 minutes? Well, guess what? We DID act like a bunch of damn fools out there .... IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE MAD DOG NATION OF NINE THOUSAND PEOPLE!!!!!! What the hell were you thinking?!?!?! Giving up a school-record of 615 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns in front of Mad Dog Nation is totally unforgivable. Now, because of your shitty performance tonight , everyone will think that we are the laugingstock of Middleton. Everyone will say to our players: 'Oh, look at the team who gave up over 600 yards on the ground in public view of the home crowd!' or 'Look at the team that did not give a rat's ass about the fact that we gave up 48 points!!' You should be ashamed at yourselves. You've let your team-mates down, you've let your coaches down, but the worst thing of all is that you've let_

_Well I have HAD IT!!!!!!_

_All of you 87 players out there will report here at the practice field TOMORROW MORNING at exactly 7:00 am! We are going to go through our routines in the driving rain. And I want to see the best effort that you can give me, not this asinine performance that I saw from the sidelines tonight!!_

It seemed like that Barkin had been looking at the weather. Tomorrow morning was going to call for heavy rain. He turned to the offensive units, first-, second- and third-stringers alike.

_Offensive units, we are going to practice for the next 3 hours in the trenches and through the usual routines until you get everything right._

The Mad Dog backs and receivers all groaned in unison. However, Barkin concentrated all of his ranting of the game on his defensive units.

_You call youselves the Mad Dog defense ?!?! HUH?!?! More like a bunch of prissy football players who don't wanna get hurt, huh? Well, GUESS WHAT?!?!?! You are going to get your asses out there and you are going to practice ...... FOR 6 HOURS!!!!! After the offensive unit leaves, we are going to revamp our defense! No more of this 4-3 formation bullshit!! NO WAY!!! We are going to mix it up and, in Game 5, we are going to give the Tigers HELL!! _

_IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?_

The defensive players all shouted out with a resounding: "YES, SIR!!!!!" However, deep down inside, they knew that they would be covered up, head to toe, in the rain, mud, and cold of the practice field.

Ron, sitting in the middle of the bench, finally stood up. He, like many of the players, was not in a happy mood. A few feelings of anger were inside him. It felt like that he failed his team as a football captain, the most important centerpiece of leadership on the gridiron.

The young man who wore the grass-stained number 7 jersey made a throat clearing gesture, suggesting that he was about to speak.

Barkin, finally ending his shitton of anger and ranting, turned to the Mad Dog's football captain. He took a deep breath.

"Ok, Stoppable, you may go ahead." the Mad Dogs' head coach said.

Ron prepared the speech that he was waiting for :

"I am very worried that we are not acting as a team. Look at what happened to me tonight? The Tigers contained me to just 96 yards rushing and no touchdowns. You see? We have to stand as one united unit, not as 87 individual units. If we act in a cocky mood, the Tigers would defeat us. We have to stop being so brash. I mean, sure we did pull off a huge upset in Game 3, but, you see, that's the problem, we got too arrogant that just the Dog Pound and me would beat one of the best teams in the nation. We paid for it dearly tonight."

Ron then turned to some of the Mad Dog defenders. They could say "YES, SIR!!" all they want but it still doesn't mean that they are going to get run over by the Tigers' relentless rushing attack. They needed motivation to help them stop South Panola.

He sensed his opportunity and channelled in his times as the Middleton Mad Dog to help them get fired up again.

"Defense, look. There is Mad Dog school spirit in each one of us," Ron said as he pointed to his heart. "Each of us has something to fight for. Mine is for my girlfriend, KP, the cheerleader captain."

"You mean, Kim, right?" Josh Mankey asked about his former crush.

"Yeah, Josh, my fight is for KP. But the main point here is that our starting defense must stand strong against South Panola. We have to come through for our team, our coaches, the cheerleaders, and most importantly, Mad Dog Nation itself. I mean, look at what happened when we faced Lowerton in the South State Final. We stood our ground on fourth down and didn't allow them the first down?"

The defensive players nodded their heads.

Ron continued his pep speech, "And when we faced against these same Tigers in Game 1 in Batesville with 3:09 left in that game, we had our backs to the walls. But did we give up? No, we sure as hell didn't!! We came through as a team and defeated them. That wasn't selfish play. It was unity and teamwork that helped us win."

He then turned his attention from the players to Barkin, "You know what, I think Coach Barkin may be right. We need some variety in our defensive scheme. We have been running the same old 4-3 formations. Sometimes it has worked for us and sometimes it hasn't. I thiink he may be onto something. If we introduce the concept of a variety of defenses, we can shut down the Tigers' I-option offense."

Coach Barkin gave a slight nod to his head.

Ron concluded with this important part, "Unity and teamwork is our main theme. If we don't have it, we might not win the series. We can not and will not give up."

He screamed and yelled, "WE ARE THE MIDDLETON MAD DOGS!!"

At that moment, all 87 players, plus Brian, Eugene, and Greg, and the Mad Dog coaches and finally, Coach Barkin, huddled in their hands together.

"On three: 1.....2.....3...... MAD DOGS!!!!!!"

They all departed a little bit pumped up but still in the same somber mood, for they will not forget this loss for quite a long time.


	81. The Gathering Storm

Meanwhile, outside the gym, the wind was slowly but surely increasing and the clouds were getting more ominous. The cheerleaders anxiously awaited their players from those double-doors. Some of them were underneath the awning while others were sitting on the cool grass.

Kim was lying on the grass, staring out into the gathering storm. Her red hair, only restrained by her cheering bow, was spread out on the soft blades of grass. She took a deep breath, thinking of Ron and how they could play their harmonicas together while singing the "Doghouse Blues" at Bueno Nacho as boyfriend and girlfriend as they try to cheer up a depressed Mad Dog Nation.

She remembered the deep effects of her speech. _Hopefully, unity will keep this squad together. _She kept this thought in her mind as she felt the breeze on her skin.

Bonnie was leaning against a support beam of the awning. She stared out into the darkened stadium. She thought all the times that she cheered over at the stadium. Now, because of the loss, her cheers have been temporarily silenced. But one bright spot came in the form of meeting Junior.

Tara still remained emotionally broken from the loss as well. Although she felt a little bit better by Kim's speech, the record of all those rushing yards that the Tigers amassed on their home turf still haunted her mind.

Camille, meanwhile, waited for the perfect time to leave so that her opportunity to rob the Possibles will be wide open. Timing not only had to be on her side but bad luck must also happen to Tara as well in order for her plan to be excuted with precision.

The gym's double-doors propped open. It was the Mad Dog football players in their regular clothes. Ron was back in his regular red shirt and khakis. He really missed the feel of Rufus in his pants pocket.

The other football players followed in as well. Some of the Mad Dog cheering squad hugged their heroes for at least some comfort in a thirty-three point blowout.

When Kim saw Ron, she stood up from her position of lying down on the grass. She ran up to her boyfriend and embraced him. Their lips met and kissed briefly before walking out with each other.

As the couple walked onto the asphalt parking lot to meet up with the other Possibles in front of the school, a worried Kim asked Ron, "Ron, what was the sitch down there?"

"Well, KP," Ron answered as he stared out into the dark sky, then to his girlfriend, "we're going to have practice early tomorrow morning, in the heavy rain. Offense is going to practice for three hours and then defense is going to be revamped for the next five hours. So, in other words, I'm going to be practicing for the full eight hours, KP." He then stared out into the sky again. Ron knew that he was playing both offense and defense. He also knew the amount of exhaustion that was involved in being a two-way player and that he was going to be covered from head to toe in the sloppy mud.

Kim, knowing that how Ron would put his body and mad running skills to the very brink, put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ron. You'll have me by your side. I know that together, we can get through this defeat and get back on track."

"You know what, KP?" Ron said excitedly with a look of determination in his eye, "I think you're right! Even though we may have given up 615 yards on the ground to the Tigers, I know that we, the Middleton Mad Dogs, will bounce back!"

The two held hands with each other once again as the wind blew right in front of their faces.

"Hey, Ron, the whole Possible family is out in the front of school. We're going to Bueno Nacho in order to, you know, put this loss behind us. And, of course, we can sing the blues to cheer up the crowd over there." Kim said as she pulled out her harmonica from her handbag.

From his backpack, Ron also happened to pull out his harmonica. The two clanged their harmonicas together and smiled at each other as they made their way into the front of the school.

Tara, Bonnie, and the rest of the cheer squad followed Kim and Ron to the front of the school. Some of the cheerleaders were more than willing to go to Bueno Nacho to join in their fellow fans on this solemn occassion. However, a few cheerleaders felt that they weren't in the mood for Bueno Nacho at all. They just don't want their night to get even more depressing. So they decided to leave.

Some of the football players wanted to leave as well.

The only person that remained was Camille. She was all alone in the empty parking lot to the gym. The wind blew against her long blonde hair when she felt her cell vibrate from her Prada bag. It was the only thing that she brought along in her bag.

She answered the cell in a hushed voice, so that no one would hear her devious plans on to rob the Possibles and frame Tara in the process.

_C: Like, hello? This is Camille Leon speaking. Who's this?_

Dr. Leon: It's me, the doc.

_C: Oh, right, like, hello Dr._ _Leon. Like, what's up?_

_Dr. Leon: Look, Camille, there's something else you need to know about your shapeshifting abilities._

_C: Oh, no!! (slaps hand on her face) It's not another side effect, is it, Dr. Leon? I've almost, like, had the flu and I don't want to hear any more illnesses._

_Dr. Leon: No, Camille, your shapeshifting surgery has another ability besides transforming you into other people. _

Camille's mood turned from one of concern to one of excitement, but kept her voice low.

_C: Really?!?! What is it? Please, I'm dying to know!!!!!_

Dr. Leon: Your shapeshifting abilities can also make you ....... invisible!! Come on, try it out!

When the deb heard the word "invisible", she knew she was in heaven. Now, she can't be noticed by anyone, including Tara. She did as Dr. Leon requested and turned herself invisible. Camille disappeared in an instant. She blended in perfectly with the environment around her. Even her Prada bag was made invisible. . The only thing that was visible was her cell phone with the Bluetooth technology showing.

_Dr. Leon: Now, whenever you want to stop, you can make yourself visible again. You can also combine the two abilities together! Your enemies will never know what hit them!!_

Camille did what the doctor instructed. She became visible again. Then, she tried it by transforming herself in a exact duplicate of Tara and made herself invisible. It was an instant success!!

She was more thankful for this surgery than ever before.

_C: Oh, thank you, Dr. Leon! Thank you so much!! Now I can finally gain my revenge against my enemies!! _

_Dr. Leon: You are very much welcome, Camille. But you don't have much time! Look above you!_

_C: What do you mean?_

She looked above. The clouds were growing darker, slowly but surely.

_Dr. Leon: Well, any precipitation, rain or snow, will give out an outline of you. You know that the storms are going to hit later on tonight?_

C: Yeah?

Dr. Leon: According to the forecasts, the storms are going to hit Middleton around midnight. You have around 90 minutes to do whatever deeds you need to do or your abilities will be given away!! 

_C: Alright, Dr. Leon, I'm, so like, on it._

She hung up the phone and turned it off so that she cannot give away her location.

Camille was so excited that she can both transform into her enemy and make herself invisible at the same time. But, as Dr. Leon said to her, she didn't have much time. She looked up into the threatening sky with a renewed sense of determination to ruin the cheerleader who cost her the elections.

_If I want to ruin Tara's life, now is the perfect time to do it. _Camille thought to herself.

She immediately turned herself into a duplicate of Tara and then made herself invisible. It was a good 20-minute walk from the high school to the Possible household.

Now that she had these powers, Camille immediately proceeded her way to the Possibles' residence, silently and surely. As her invisible self crept across the front of the school parking lot where Tara was standing with her fellow cheerleaders and the Possible clan, she gave an evil smirk and casually walked on the sidewalk. She made no sounds of her footsteps. The blowing wind made it perfect for the invisible deb to blend in with the bushes and the trees as if they were rustling along with the wind.

The only thing that Camille needed now was for Tara to be hit by a sting of bad luck.

Kim, Ron, Tara, Bonnie, Caitlin, Sharpay, Felix, John and the entire Possible family met in the parking lot.

"So, I guess we're taking separate cars to go to Bueno Nacho, huh?" Felix said as he prepared to store up his power wheelchair in his car. He was driving along with John.

"Yeah, that's our best plan, Felix." James said as he prepared to start the family SUV. Anne, Kim, Ron and the Tweebs got into the in the car.

Kim and Ron were, of course, in the middle seat as they did during that magical moment at the Beverly.

Slim would be behind them in his pickup truck with Joss.

Sharpay would bring up the rear with Caitlin, Bonnie and Tara.

Tara couldn't wait for the fresh smell of Nacos and the sound of the blues. Her stomach, through, had other ideas. As she approached Sharpay's car, she began to feel pains in the that area.

The blonde co-captain made groaning sounds, symbolizing that she wasn't feeling so well.

"Tara? What's wrong?" Caitlin asked her fellow cheerleader.

Tara complained as she held her sides, "Oooohhh, my stomach, I think it must've been someting earlier that I ate. I don't think I am in the mood for Bueno Nacho tonight."

Bonnie took one good look at Tara and realized that she was, indeed, sick. "T, I think you need to see a doctor about this sometime in the morning!"

"Bonnie, I think you're right, I'm gonna go to my car and get back to my house. I can call up the doctor tomorrow morning and schedule an appointment." Tara responded in pain.

"You do that, T. I'll be praying for ya!" Bonnie said as Sharpay's car started up. The four vehicles drove off into the darkening night sky. Bonnie texted a message to Kim: _Tara can't come tonight. She's feeling a little sick. Hugs, Bonnie. _Kim immediately got the message and hoped and prayed that Tara would be safe.

Tara, meanwhile, walked out into the school student parking lot for her car. Her hand was still rubbing against her side a little bit. The car quickly deactivated its alarm. She pressed the remote control to unlock the doors.

The blonde cheering co-captain got into her car and buckled her seatbelt. She put the keys in the ignition and .... nothing.

All she heard was the sound of the engine turning and then, it stopped.

"Oh, no! Oh, please no!!" Tara exclaimed.

She tried again and again to start up the car, but every attempted failed.

As she went through one failed attempt after another, her emotional breakdown crept on closer and closer to her. After the eighth failed attempt, she finally broke down and cried. She undid her safety belt and laid out on the front seat as tears began to reignite from her blonde eyes. Tara was suffering from one case of bad luck after another.

"**WAAAHHHHH!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!!!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!! IT'S LIKE MY LIFE HAS JUST GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE!!!! WWAAAAHHH!!!!" **Tara cried as her tears touched the leather finish of her seat. Her stomach was also growling in pain as well.

Seeing that there was no sense in starting up the car, Tara got out her cell phone. Through her tears, and the leaves pelting against her windshield, she texted the following message to Kim and Bonnie:

_Sorry, Kim and Bonnie. I can't start up the car. I'm afraid I'm going to have to walk the way home against this wind.  
See ya_

_Tara_

She went to Kim's and Bonnie's cell phone numbers and pressed "Send" to both of them.

Tara opened the car door and slammed it. The wind was now really starting pick up. The yellow and orange leaves were starting to swirl all around the poor cheerleader. Her house was a 20-minute walk from the school, but, with the wind, it was going to be a slow and painful 35-minute walk to the house. Not only that, it also went through the Possible residence as well.

With her head hung at its lowest, Tara fought her way against the wind. Her blonde hair was starting to get leaves all over it from all this wind. It's like, in one night, life took her and spat her back out and gave her a cold slap on the face of reality. She still continued, even against the wind, even against her own tears.

She seemed to be the only person walking along the streets of Middleton at this time of night and in this type of weather that grew increasingly worse by the minute.

Yet, there was another.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

While witnessing Tara's unfortunate bouts with bad luck, Camille briefly turned herself visible and his behind the corner of the gym that faced the student section of the parking lot. She was a good 700 feet away from where Tara couldn't start up her car. She made her head invisible so that Tara wouldn't notice that Camille was there behind, watching her every single move. She then made her head visible again.

The deb couldn't believe her eyes. Her plans, unlike Veruca's, were working. Bad karma got caught up to Tara and she was walking towards her house. Camille knew the route well. She knew that her target house was included within Tara's walking route. Tara was rapidly falling into her trap.

Oh, she could just envision it now!

_Lock Tara up and throw away the key, _Camille said to herself with an evil smirk.

As the sight of a downtrodden Tara disappeared from her, Camille looked at the electronic clock that was underneath the Middleton High sign. It was now 10:45. Then, she looked up into the threatening skies.

_Shit!! I only have 75 minutes before the storms strike this stupid town. GRR!! Time for me to go invisible and under the guise as Tara, of course._

She immediately transformed herself into an exact phyical replica of Tara, right down to the signature blue eyes and platinum blonde hair. Then, the Camille replica of Tara made herself invisible so that she could blend in quite well to her environment.

Tara's sitch was growing deeper by the minute. 


	82. Doghouse Blues

**AN: Captain IT, once again, helped me out on this song: "Doghouse Blues". I give him credit for it.**

Time: 11:00pm

As the caravan of four vehicles approached Bueno Nacho, Kim prepared her harmonica to help soothe the pain of the Mad Dogs losing badly to South Panola.

_Bzzzt, bzzzzt._

Kim stopped what she was doing and searched through her handbag for her cell. After she picked it up, she read on the screen:

_1 new text message from Tara._

She read the message that her car wouldn't start and she would have to walk home. Kim clapsed her hands even harder, praying for Tara's safety through the storm.

In Sharpay's car, Bonnie received the same message as well and did the same.

When the four cars finally arrived at Bueno Nacho, it was a completely different atmosphere than what Mad Dog Nation was used to.

When the Mad Dogs usually won a game, Bueno Nacho would be a hive of chatter and excitement. They would usually get excited over how many yards "Unstoppable" Stoppable had picked and that no one could stop him.

Tonight was an entirely different scene. Inside the restaurant, it was still crowded with people but it was filled with nothing more than the sound of silence. Not only did "Unstoppable" Stoppable did not score, but the Mad Dogs' defense also gave up a school-record of 615 yards on the ground. The entire Mad Dog Nation now fully understood the might of South Panola football.

Amelia Wilkins, a former Mad Dog cheerleader from a couple of years ago and a constant prescence at the Senior Table when Kim and Ron were in their freshmen year, barely touched her salad. She, like many other of the occupants of the restaurant, was still in shock of what went down.

Zita sighed deeply and shook her head. She looked all around the restaurant. It was the most depressing sight she had ever seen: an array of doom and gloom. It was a hard and painful pill for her to swallow.

Kim and Ron entered first through the double-doors. She was still in her cheering uniform. They were caught by surprise at how silent Bueno Nacho was. Bonnie, Caitlin and Sharpay followed behind and had the same feeling as well.

The Possibles followed behind them and, lastly, John and Felix.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The two captains spotted the only empty table in the entire restaurant ... the very same table where they had their first date after Game 3. Ron and Kim took their seats.

Kim sighed as she stared out in the stormy clouds. She gave a worried sighed and then turned to Ron, "Ron, I hope Tara's all right."

"KP? What happened to Tara?" Ron said with a concerned look across his face. Kim knew that look on her boyfriend that Tara was in some serious trouble because the two were longtime friends.

"Her car wouldn't start up, so she decided to walk home. I'm just hoping that she's OK because the storm is coming within the hour." Kim answered her boyfriend. She was confident that Tara would return home safe. Then, she took out her Kimmunicator from her handbag and looked up the doppler radar for the southern portion of the state. The Kimmunicator showed that the heavy storms were, indeed, headed for Middleton.

Ron nodded his head. Then he looked in his backpack and immediately spotted his harmonica and took it out with his hand. The glare from the silver part of Ron's harmonica reflecting from the ceiling lights of the restaurant reminded Kim that it was time to unleash the blues song that she had been dreading. She grabbed her hand and took out her harmonica from her handbag as well. Both boyfriend and girlfriend were going to play their harmonicas together for the first time in their relationship.

"Ready, KP?" Ron asked as he put his harmonica on the ready. This was going to be, by far, the most depressing song that either he or Kim has ever played before.

"Whenever you are, Ron!" Kim answered in a weak voice as she looked into her boyfriend's brown eyes. Taking a deep breath, she stood up from the booth.

The cheer captain caught the attention of the entire crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, me and Ron are going to play a song that we've been writing deep down in our hearts. It reflects the sorrows that all of us went through tonight. I hope we can pull through this struggle together." Kim announced before some of the football players and cheerleaders that were present.

John and Felix were submitting the Game 4 stats to the local paper when Kim made the announcement.

As John looked up from his stats he saw that Kim and Ron were about to play their harmonica. He stopped what he was doing to speak briefly with his co-statistician partner.

"Uh, Felix, you still have those earplugs?" John reminded Felix. By this time, Felix knew of John's sensitivity to the melodious sound of the harmonica.

"Yep, John, I still do!" Felix said as he looked around the backpack behind his wheelchair for a fresh pair of earplugs. He found some just in time as Kim and Ron were about to begin their depressing blues song. John put both of the plugs in his ears to avoid the sound.

"Take it away, KP!!" Ron exclaimed to his girlfriend as she put the harmonica to her mouth.

_(Kim: sad wail of harmonica)_

_Verse 1:_

_(Kim)_

_We came into game four_

_Down to the Dog Pound we came_

_But then as the four quarters wore on,_

_The Tigers choked us harder on a choke chain._

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_Ohhh, ohhhhhhh _

_As the Tigers continued to extend the lead_

_They had done the deed._

_They silenced the Mad Dog Nation._

_The Mad Dog mascot whined like a train in a station._

_As we fell behind_

_Thirty-four to seven at halftiiiiiiiiiime._

_(Ron: harmonica)_

_(REFRAIN)_

_(REFRAIN)_

_(Kim and Ron)_

_Going to the doghouse_

_With our tails between our legs_

_We got nothing to cheer about_

_Not even a bone to beg_

_(Ron: harmonica)_

_We're in the doghouse tonight_

_My bark don't even have a bite_

_Our defense got hit by a log_

_And kicked us like an ole junk yard dog_

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_We got us a sound whipping_

_In our own backyard_

_But this is what happens_

_When you let down your guard_

_(Kim and Ron: harmonica)_

Already, at the end of the first stanza, both Kim and Ron could hear scattered sobs from the tables and booths. Even Ned, the manager, was starting to get teary-eyed.

"Take it away, Ron." Kim said as Ron prepared to start up the second verse. She tapped her foot along to the beat of her boyfriend.

_(Ron: harmonica)_

Verse 2

_(Ron)_

_What I said at the pep rally that we were going to go for the kill._

_I said on that microphone that "We were going to kick the Tigers back to Batesville"  
But all I gave was a message of overconfidence_

_A message of overconfidence_

The most depressing wail that Ron ever uttered from his harmonica echoed throughout the restaurant. Rufus, who was with the Stoppables, stopped eating his Nacos and began to cry. Tears rapidly fell from his little black eyes. He used Cecillia's long-sleeved shirt as a makeshift kleenex. It seems like that even the naked mole rat could not overcome the sheer tearful power of the blues from his owner.

Ron continued on.

_Our defense tried to contain the Tigers' running game_

_Much to our everlasting shame._

_The Tigers stained our defensive shine_

_As they crossed the goal-line_

_SEVEN TIMES!!!!!!!!!!_

_(Ron: harmonica)_

_(REFRAIN)_

_Verse 3_

_(Kim) _

_When the first half came to an end_

_I can scarcely take it in_

_The announcer told us that the Tigers racked up three hundred and eighty-six yards_

_It seemed to be no end in sight_

_We knew that we were going to be in for a long night_

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_And then, as the backup Panola QB came in the huddle_

_I knew that our team was in deep trouble_

_Number 9 took the snap and then he dived_

_He increased our scoring deficit to thirty-five_

_(Ron: harmonica)_

_The final buzzer rang throughout the field_

_And the remaining 2500 Mad Dog fans cannot shield_

_From the thirty-three point blowout._

_The thirty-three point blowout._

_OOOHHH NOOOOO!!!!_

_  
(Kim: sad wail of harmonica)_

_  
Oh, no, no, no. _

_Then, Mr. Berry announced the worst _

_That we gave up 615 rushing yards on our turf_

_That was the most painful stat of all._

_The most painful stat of all. _

_(Ron: harmonica)_

_I gave my cheerleaders a speech_

_Hopefully it would lead them to teach_

_That we must stand as one unit _

_If we are to cheer on for our Mad Dooooogs!!_

_  
(Kim: harmonica)_

_(REFRAIN)_

_Verse 4_

_(Ron)  
Coach Barkin began to rant and rave _

_About the way our defense behaved_

_Out there. _

Ron blew through his harmonica as he stared out into the windows of Bueno Nacho as the wind continued to howl.

_No, he wasn't happy that we played like crud_

_I now have to practice for eight hours in the rain and mud.  
_

_I gave my football teammates a speech of unity_

_That they cannot continue to rely on me  
My heart was fighting for KP_

_We have to work together as a team_

_To beat the Tigers_

_To beat the Tigeeeerrrrsss!!!!_

_(REFRAIN)_

As the notes finished up, Bonnie stood up from the booth where Sharpay and Caitlin were sitting. A tear was rolling down from her jade eye. She stared out into the worsening skies and the wind whipping up the leaves. The thought of Tara came into her mind. She felt worried that something bad might happen to her.

"Hey, Kim, Ron, mind if I join in as well. It's for Tara." Bonnie said as she walked up to the two young harmonica players. Kim and Ron were more than willing to help Bonnie ease the pain of worrying about Tara.

_  
Verse 5_

_(Bonnie)  
(Ron: harmonica)  
Ohh, this loss affected Tara too_

_I just did not know what to do_

_Ohhhhh, noooo_

_It broke more of her heart_

_Her car wouldn't start_

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_Now she has to fight_

_Against the wind and the storm_

_Her spirit is now torn_

_But she continues on with all her might_

_Life is not fair_

_When a co-captain have leaves in her blonde hair_

_Ohhh, in her blonde hair!!_

Then, she joined in with Ron and Kim for the final refrain of the song.

_(Kim, Bonnie and Ron)_

_Going to the doghouse_

_With our tails between our legs_

_We got nothing to cheer about_

_Not even a bone to beg_

_(Kim)_

_We were overconfident that we could win_

_Now we can see it as a cardinal sin_

_We must win game five_

_We would have to stand and unite or lose the game and divide_

_(Ron: harmonica)_

_(Kim, Bonnie, and Ron)_

_We're in the doghouse tonight_

_My bark don't even have a bite_

_Our defense got hit by a log_

_And kicked us like an ole junk yard dog_

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_We got us a sound whipping_

_In our own backyard_

_But this is what happens_

_When you let down your guard_

_(Kim and Ron: harmonica)_

_Ohhhh, we have the doghouse blues!!_

_The doghouse bluuueeessss!!!!_

(Kim and Ron: harmonica)

As Kim and Ron blew the final notes to the refrain from their harmonicas, they had covered all of the sorrows of Game 4.

The three friends shed a few tears themselves. It was the most difficult and painful song that they have created and sung in front of a crowd of people.

Some of the reception was a thunderous applause while others were crying to their hearts content, including several of the cheerleaders and a few of the football players as well.

Rufus was still crying on Cecillia's shirt sleeve. His tear stains were all over her shirt edges.

Monique broke down in tears as well. She had never heard such a beautiful blues song in her entire life. Zita put her hands around Monique in order to try and comfort her.

Kim, Ron, and Bonnie took to their seats in the booth. Kim then noticed that her Kimmunicator was still on. The digitized image of Wade came on. Through the array of computers Wade had in his room, he overheard every single sorrowful note that Kim, Ron, and Bonnie uttered in the song. He, like many others, was crying.

All three friends looked out from Bueno Nacho's windows into the black sky. Kim could hear a couple of very soft booms of thunder.

Dark times were approaching for the Possibles and for Tara.


	83. The Possible BreakIn

Time: 11:25 pm

Setting: Bueno Nacho

As Kim heard the rolling booms of thunder, she glanced at the exterior of Bueno Nacho. She could obviously see that the storm was getting worse by the minute.

Bonnie whispered in Kim's ear, "Uhh, K? I think you should call up Tara. It's getting pretty nasty outside!" Bonnie heard the rolling of thunder as well. She was growing more worried about her fellow co-captain. The blues song reminded her of Tara's voice crying out in the wind.

Kim nodded her head and put her harmonica up in her purse and got out her cell phone. She scrolled down the long phone list before finding Tara's name on it. She immediately pressed the green button.

Setting: Along the Middleton sidewalks.

Tara was slowly walking on the sidewalks. The bitter wind was blowing against her. Her tears were all dried up by this point. She could hear the rumbles of thunder. She knew she had to get out of the storm and get back to her house before the heavy stuff moves in.

The cheerleader felt the cold wind running down her skin when she heard a distinct ringtone from her cell phone. She got out her handbag and got her cell phone out of her purse. It had Kim's name on the call screen. Through all the troubles that she went through tonight, she answered the call.

_T: Hey, Kim! _

_K: Hey, Tara! Glad to hear that you're OK!_

_T: Kim, the storm is getting worse out here! I don't like the look of those clouds!_

_K: Yeah, Tara, I think you'd better get home quickly! From my calculations, the NWS is going to issue a severe thunderstorm warning for our area in the next 30 minutes or so. Where are you right now?_

_T: On the corner of Crowder and Livingston. I'm about 15 minutes from my house, but it feels like 35 with all this wind. It's really slowing me down. But on the bright side, I'm about 10 minutes from your house. _

This gave Kim an idea. She put down her cell momentarily and spotted her twin brothers, Jim and Tim. They were still sobbing a little bit from their big sister playing the blues on her harmonica. She left Ron and Bonnie momentarily and walked on over to where the rest of the Possible clan eating their post-game dinner.

"Tweebs?" Kim asked her twin brothers, who were still having their waterworks, "Do you still have that remote control that can open any door in town?"

"Here you go, Kim!" Jim sobbed as he gave her an innocent-looking universal remote control with a variety of buttons on it. It was rewired so that it could open any door they wish in town. They haven't used it after James grounded them for wrecking the front of his car by the garage door opening and closing on top of it, repeatedly. It cost him around $4000 to get the damage repaired.

"We don't want it anymore! It will help your friend, Tara!" Tim said through his tears. He knew what the poor cheerleader went though, for he happened to be positioned behind Tara when the final horn went off after Game 4. Tim heard Tara's screams as it echoed through his ear. He could not bear to see the pain of his sister's friend suffering like this.

He wanted to do something for the poor cheerleader. As Kim's blues song played, the Possible brothers caught sight of their door-opening remote control. They nodded their heads, knowing what she had gone through and decided to help out their fellow Mad Dog cheerleader.

_K: Tara, I've got a plan. You know where my house is? _

_T: Yeah?_

_K: I've convinced the Tweebs to give me their door-opener remote. With this button, I'll open the front door to my house for you. It'll give you shelter from the storm. Wait over there. We'll come and pick you up in about 20 minutes. _

_T: OK, Kim. I'm about 10 minutes from your house. I'll get there as soon as I can and wait at the front door. Y'all can pick me up from there and take me home. _

_K: OK, Tara. I'll see ya at 11:45 at my house. My dad and I will be out in front._

_T: See ya, Kim, Bye!_

_K: Bye!_

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, while Tara was walking her way home, Camille, still invisible and still under the guise of a clone of Tara, was continuing to watch her every move. The combination of the increasing winds and rustling bushes and trees made it the perfect camoflauge for her. The cat food deb was tiptoeing silently through the grass and used the surrounding bushes and trees to hide behind Tara. She knew her target house: the Possibles and all the valuables they had.

_It would be fun to see Tara being carted off to juvie! OOOHHH, I can't wait what her reaction would be when she's carted away in handcuffs by the police_! Camille said to herself. She scurried from one bush to another as she remained completely invisible, trying not to make a single sound that would draw suspicion to Tara.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tara put her phone back in her purse. She continued to walk slowly over towards the Possible household.

Then, she noticed that the front door was open. _Yes!! Kim must've opened the door with the Tweebs' gadge!! Finally, this nightmare for me will end!! _

Her heart jumped at the fact that Kim opened the door for her long-time friend, even though she was three miles away in Bueno Nacho. _Things are going to be all right for me! _She merrily walked towards the front door and entered into the house. The winds were blowing into the house. Tara tried to close it then slapped her hand across her face. She forgot that the only way that the doors to the front of the house can be closed is through the Tweebs' remote control, now in the hands of Kim.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Back at Bueno Nacho, Kim, still scientifically-impaired compared to her dad and brothers, was trying to find the right button to close up the doors. She was sitting right next to her brothers.

"Ahh!! Darn it! How can I close the doors to our house?" Kim muttered to herself as she tried to fiddle around with the buttons on the controller.

She was struggling with the controller for the next 90 seconds. James noticed his daughter's dilema so he used his expertise in robotics to help her out.

"Push the very bottom button to your right, Kimmie-cub! That will close all the doors to the front door." James said. He pointed to a button with a picture of a door slamming shut, which was, indeed, on the very bottom edge of the control.

Kim immediately pressed the button and hoped that the front doors would close.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Camille was behind the Possible's mailbox. Still invisible and still under Tara's physical clone form, she saw that the front door to the Possible's house was left wide open. She gave an evil smirk as a loud boom of thunder trailed behind her. Then, she made a mad dash towards the front door. Tara was waiting in the breezeway, hoping for Kim to close the door. No footsteps were even heard from the deb's feet. It gave Camille just enough time to go through the open front door and go past Tara without being noticed. Then the doors closed right behind the invisible self of the spoiled cheerleader. Tara did not even notice Camille walking through the door ... at all.

_Yes! Kim must've figured out that remote control! _Tara thought to herself. She can now finally rest her battered blonde hair on something soft and immediately spotted on the sofa. She stretched out her entire body after all that walking.

"Damn, it's been a long night for me, but I'm finally out of this hell!" Tara exclaimed as she stretched on the couch. She rested her head on the pillows and went to take a brief 15-minute nap before Kim and the others pick her up.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Camille then slowed down her speed and tiptoed silently into the master bedroom. She immediately spotted a small duffel bag right next to the parents' bed. Then, she spotted another, much smaller duffel bag right next to it. This gave her an evil idea in her already-working plan. She immediately came out of her invisible self, but was still under the perfect likeliness of Tara due to her shapeshifting abilities.

_Hmmm, if I can carry one set of the Possibles' valuables in one duffel bag and then carry another set of valuables in the other duffel bag, I can knock Tara out for a brief while and call the police in another friend guise that she's quite familiar with_. _Then I can drop the other duffel bag with a few of the valuables right next to the unconscious Tara, _Camille thought to herself. Then, her eyes gleamed in a triumphant mood. _PERFECT!! It's all adding up now! _

The first valuable item that immediately caught her attention was a 22-karat diamond pendant with a gold chain. It was in full view of Camille on a display case. It was given to Anne by James on their fifth anniversary. Its shiny glare put Camille in a trance. _Hmm, must be worth around 100 grand. I must obtain it, now!! _ She could not resist the temptation of envisioning herself wearing it. The deb immediately put it in the bag. Then, she made another exciting discovery. To the right of the display case where the pendant was formerly displayed was a very large jewelry case that contained all off Anne's jewelry. Camille immediately opened it and to her amazement, she was wowed, although not as much as that diamond pendant. The deb quickly put as many of Anne's jewels in the small duffel bag.

She then thought of the next phase of her devious plan: knock out Tara and pin the crime of robbing the Possible household on her.

_Hmm, these jewels, I guess are, like, worth around 80,000. I guess I can put half of Mrs. Possible's jewels in the bag that I will take home with me and then put the other half in the other bag in order to make it appear that Tara did the robbery all by herself once she's out for a few minutes. But she seems to be asleep on their couch. If I want to knock her out temporarily, I have to wake her up as quick as I can. _

Camille then turned around and quickly looked at the time on James and Anne's clock: 11:43. Then she heard that the booms of thunder were growing louder from the bedroom window. She did not have enough time to mess around.

_Damn! I have to hurry! If I stay around much longer, my position will be given away! The time to knock out Tara is now! _Camille said to herself. She then looked through her purse and found another thing that she did not notice: a washcloth and a bottle of chloroform.

_YES! This is just what I need to knock Tara out for a little bit! The next time she wakes up, she'll be in the paddy wagon, being carted away in cuffs! _Camille realized to herself. She put the chloroform bottle back in her purse.

She quickly grabbed both the small duffel bags in one hand and grabbed the chloroform from her purse and doused the washcloth with it. She then palmed her hand that she was carrying the small bags with all of Anne's jewelery in it. The fake clone of Tara made it into a fist and knocked on the wooden part to the entrance of the master bedroom and walked down the hallway.

The sound stirred young Tara awake from her brief slumber. She rubbed her eyes to see what all the commotion was about. The cheerleader walked towards the hallway.

Then, to her shock and horror, she discovered ...... an exact clone of herself with two duffel bags of jewelry inside and a washcloth.

"Who ..... who are you? Am I-I seeing things?" Tara stuttered. She had never seen anything like this before. Tara rubbed her eyes to see that it was not a fake.

"Heh, heh!! I'm your worst nightmare! Nighty, night, Queenie!" Camille exlaimed in a voice that was exactly like Tara's. The false clone applied the chloroform washcloth to Tara's face and smothered it in for a few seconds. The real Tara struggled with all of her might but the chloroform fumes simply overtook her small and fragile body. She collapsed onto the carpet floor, unconscious. Her blue eyes began to slowly close. The last thing that she saw as she tilted her head was a flash of lightning followed by thunder. Then, her eyelids were completely closed. The good-natured blonde-haired cheerleader was knocked out cold.

Camille, still in the Tara close guise, gave her victory pose briefly before before transforming back into her old self. The only thing that she didn't change were Tara's fingerprints. This would place all the blame of the crime on Tara alone.

Camille quickly put one of the small duffel bags filled with Anne's jewels next to the unconscious body of Tara. Her blonde hair felt the duffel material touching her but she did not even notice it at all.

Spotting the nearby phone in the kitchen, Camille quickly went to the kitchen and picked up the phone. She dropped the duffel bags containing the valuables and changed her fingerprints back to her own. She gave an evil smirk as a flash of lightning illuminated the stormy sky before a loud clap of thunder echoed its loud boom across the Possible household. It did not wake Tara up.

After this, she quickly dialed the three numbers that would seal poor Tara's fate and make her horrible night complete: 9-1-1.

After getting a ring or two, the 911 operator came on.

_911 operator: 911? What's your emergency? _

Camille told her of the sitch that was going on within her household. She changed her voice to that of a worried tone so that she would be only a mere witness, not a suspect.

_C: There's been a robbery over at 3049 Livingston Drive!! At the Possible house!!_

_911 operator: Is that your voice, Mrs. Leon?_

C: Yes, I was passing through as I was walking on my way home from the game when I notice that the back door was open and unlocked. She went through the back door and began to steal some valuables from the Possible household!!

911 operator: Where's the suspect? What has she stolen?  


_C: Luckily, I knocked her out with a bottle of chloroform and she's on the floor right now! The suspect stands 5'3, weighs around 93 pounds, has long platinum-blonde hair and blue eyes. Her name is .... Tara Queen! She has stolen some jewelry! Can you come over here quick? _

_911 operator: OK, Mrs. Leon, I have dispatched a few police units to come and they'll come and take the suspect into custody in 15 minutes. Don't worry, Mrs. Leon, you're all right._

_C: Oh, thank you, thank you._

_911 operator: You're welcome, ma'am. _

Camille hung up and took a quick glance at the clock: 11:50. She had 10 minutes to get out before the rain gives away her outline. Luckily for Camille, earlier in the day, she talked with Dr. Leon about getting a ride in his car before the cops arrived. And at that moment, Dr. Leon did arrive with his car. Changing her fingerprints back into Tara's again, Camille grabbed the duffel bags and headed out the house through the back way ... a rear sliding door that led to the patio.

Camille exited the Possible household through the rear sliding door that happened to be unlocked. She made sure to put Tara's prints on it to make it appear that she entered through the back door. It seemed that while the Possibles closed and locked all the front doors, James neglected to close the rear sliding door. It allowed for the perfect escape for Camille to go through. She immediately transformed from Kim back into her old self and shut the patio door. She ran against the wind though the Possibles' backyard, the other duffel bag carrying Anne's beautiful $100K anniversary diamond pendant plus a few of her other jewels. Dr. Leon was waiting for her in the car.

As she opened and closed the door to Dr. Leon's car, Camille gave an evil laugh.

Camille had pulled off her very first successful crime and, in the process, pinned the blame on an innocent victim. She gazed into her biggest prize from her heist, the anniversary necklace, as she cackled maniacally as a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Dr. Leon also joined in on Camille's triumpant moment and laughed as well. The two Leons got out of the vicinity well before the cops arrived.

Meanwhile, at the Possible household, Tara was still asleep and unconscious due to the chloroform. The only thing that she heard, at first, was the thunderstorm outside. Then, she heard the pelting of rain outside on the Possibles' roof, like she had heard so many times in life.

Suddenly, a new sound, completely foreign to her, arrived at the Possible household ... the sound of police sirens wailing.


	84. I Was Framed!

Time: 12:04 am

In the Leon limosine, Camille snickered to herself as she put her biggest prize, the Possible's diamond necklace, back in the duffel bag.

Camille also smirked for she stared at her shoes. Many other criminals would leave footprints behind, but not the cat food deb's. Just prior to Game 4 this afternoon, Dr. Leon insulated her cheerleading shoes with a gel-like substance that has the uncanny ability to mask one's footprints. So when Camille robbed the Possible household, she did not leave any footprints at all either in the carpet or in the grass. This would make it look like that Tara acted alone on the crime. It was the tip of the icing to a criminal cake.

While staring at the rainy windows, Camille thought to herself. _Heh, Dr. Leon did his homework very well! The police will never figure out that it was me who took their most precious prize of all! Now, Tara shall get the blame and she'll receive the wonderous smell of a prison uniform pretty soon. I wonder what works best for her, orange or black & white? Doesn't matter to me. Hah-hah._

The limosine continued to drive off to Highway 49.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 11:36pm

Place: Bueno Nacho

As soon as the Possible family was finished with their Naco meals, James decided that it was the best moment to go home into the stormy weather. Across the restaurant, he motioned to Kim and to Bonnie that they were leaving. Most of the people, by this time, were also beginning to leave. The TV overhead showed the doppler radar. The storm was much worse than they thought with all the red and maroon spots of rain approaching on their peaceful suburbs.

Ned, who was scrubbing on the counters, noticed the large amount of colors on the TV approaching the Middleton area. _Oh, no. We're definitely going to get washed out!_

"Kimmie-cub! Ronald! Bonnie! Let's get back to the house! This weather is getting worse by the minute!" James yelled out to his daughter and the tan-skinned vixen friend next to her. He stood up, along with Anne, Jim and Tim. James looked out into the sky and saw the brief flashes of lightning embedded into the sky.

Kim, Ron, and Bonnie nodded their heads as they went along with James, Anne, and the Tweebs to the SUV. All seven people boarded the vehicle and James turned on the ignition. The SUV started up but another thing alarmed James. His eyes glared upon the fuel gage. It was dangerously near the empty mark.

"Arrgh! Darn it! I knew I should've filled up the SUV this morning!" James yelled as he hit the steering wheel with his hand.

"Dad, we have to go, NOW!!" Kim exclaimed. She watched the pelting leaves on the SUV's windows. James put his other hand on the wheel and the SUV pulled out of the Bueno Nacho parking lot.

As the vehicle went on the road, Kim and Bonnie immediately went to their cell phones to call up Tara. Ron, who was sitting beside them, prayed that Tara had at least one bar on her phone. Both Kim and Bonnie's cell phones also had a transmitter to analyze the battery power of other people's cell phones, courtesy of Wade.

All they got, however, was the following alert: _The cell phone of: (Tara's voice) Tara Queen, has no battery power. Please try again. _

"Damn!" Bonnie said to Kim, "Hopefully, T reached your house. I just hope she's all right. It's really thoughtful of what you did for her."

"Thanks, B." Kim replied back to the worried tan-skinned vixen. Kim also knew the deep bond of friendship that all three cheerleaders shared with each other. It survived under Veruca, the Swirlies, when they sang the blues after Game 2, the cheer elections, Kim's first kiss, and now the storm of Game 4 and the real storm after it.

The Tweebs, witnessing all this from the back seat, understood as well.

Suddenly, about halfway towards the Possible house, all seven people heard the engine dying. James was shaking his head in utter defeat. He ruffled his hair as he scrolled down the status of his vehicle. When he came to how much gas was left in the tank, there was not a single drop of gasoline left.

"No, no, No, NO! This can't be happening!" James cried out in humiliation, "I guess I'll just have to admit defeat!" He put his face down on the steering wheel. This was one of the rarest occurances that a Possible family member would admit defeat over a stalled vehicle with no gas.

Anne gave a deep sigh as she continued to stare at the trees, which were being battered by 30 mph winds. The leaves were being stripped bare off of their branches.

"Mr. Possible!" Bonnie exclaimed as she snapped her fingers, "Snap out of it. I know this situation looks bad enough as it is. But you said so yourself many times before: Anything is possible for a Possible. And we are not going to give up on Tara. If we can't go by car, then we'll have to walk on over to your house. Sure it may take a bit longer, but hopefully, we can reach Tara in time before anything bad happens to her."

Kim chimed in as well. "Dad, I worry for Tara's sake as well as Bonnie's and everyone else in this vehicle. We cannot just sit there and whine. We need to get out into that storm, face our fears, and rescue Tara."

James suddenly lifted his head up from the steering wheel. Knowing that Tara has become such an important part to the close-knit family, he nodded his head to Anne and to the rest of the occupants of the vehicle."

"Everybody, let's abandon the vehicle and travel by foot!" James commanded as all seven people got out of the vehicle. Braving the winds, the Possible family, Bonnie, and Ron struggled to reach the house. Their 10-minute walk from this point suddenly transformed into a 20-minute death march with the wind blowing as hard as it could against them.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 12:05 am

Place: Possible residence.

Tara, who had been knocked out by the chloroform for 20 minutes, slowly opened up her eyes. She can obviously hear the booms of thunder and the flashes of lightning majestically illumiating the night sky and the rain being pelted down on the roof. Then, she heard something that she never even heard before ... police cars approaching the Possibles'.

Then, she noticed the duffel bag full of jewelry right next to her. She tried to back away as far as she can from the bag, but it was already there. Tara gritted her teeth in fear. The Camille version of Tara has touched all of Anne's jewels with fingerprints - Tara's fingerprints.

Tara threw herself in a panic. She tried to get out the front doors, but, once again, she slapped her head. She knew that the front doors were remote controlled. Then she made her way to the back sliding door which led to the patio. Tara tried to get out the back patio door but realized that it is locked. Camille has trapped her like a common rat.

Outside, three squad cars arrived at the house. About six cops surrounded the place, including Officer Hobble. Through his thick Brogue accent, he grabbed the nearest loudspeaker and spoke his voice through it.

"Tara Queen!! We have a warrant for your arrest!! Please come out with your hands up!!" Hobble demanded through the loudspeaker.

Realizing that her situation was completely hopeless, Tara gave a deep sigh and put her arms around her back. She obviously knew that she couldn't run away because it would make her punishment a whole lot harsher and that the doors were locked. She had no choice but to accept her consequences, unaware that an imposter, not her, did the crime. Tara had no memory of what had happened in the last 30 minutes because of the effects of the chloroform.

The cheerleader walked towards the front door when the cops suddenly broke down the robotic door with a battering ram.

"FREEZE!!!" Hobble yelled at the poor blonde cheerleader as he held up his gun. Cops instantly surrounded the poor cheerleader. Tara instantly froze in place, her hands still behind her head. She was now on her knees.

_Oh, please God! This can't be possible! This can't be possible!! THIS CAN'T BE POSSIBLE!!!!_

Tara, now stuck in the most vulnerable position of her life, began to cry over the admission of defeat.

Her teary eyes then turned at the imposing figure of Hobble. Her heart was beginning to beat very rapidly.

Hobble instantly put his gun back in his holster and took out his handcuffs and put them behind Tara's hands. The cold, hard steel of cuffs quickly snapped across her wrists as she could feel the stainless steel penetrating her pale skin. The officer of Irish descent forced the poor blonde cheerleader to stand up, now that she was officially in police custody.

Hobble read her rights to the embattled Tara.

"Tara Queen, you are under arrest for robbery! You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"

Hanging her head downwards, her eyes staring at the Possibles' carpet, Tara was choking on her tears when she replied, "Yes." A flash of lightning illuminated the Possibles' living room and a large crack of thunder followed.

Hobble instructed two of his fellow officers to escort a cuffed Tara out into the driving rain very slowly. The raindrops were blending very well with her tears. Hobble left with his fellow officers to the front of the house.

The Criminal Scene Investigation team immediately began to take over the scene after the police left, collecting whaterver evidence necessary to link Tara to the crime.

As Tara was guided out of the broken front door, tears continued to stream down from her face. This was the lowest point in her life that she had ever been in.

But the worst trauma was to come.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 11:57pm

Place: the Sidewalks of Middleton

The rain from the thudering skies started to pelt down on the Possible family, Bonnie, and Ron. They were only seven blocks away from the house.

"Oh, no!" Anne exclaimed with a loud groan. "Now we've got rain on us! What could be worse?!"

Bonnie and Kim shrugged their shoulders. They have gotten used to the rain before when they were young so it was no big for them.

However, the distant wail of police sirens suddenly caught the attention of the drenched group. The familiar sight of the blue and white lights from the police cars zoomed by them at an alarming rate into the groups' general direction.

_Huh? Those police cars seem to be going into the direction facing Kim's house, _Bonnie thought to herself. Then, a sudden thought occurred to her. _Oh, no!! Something bad must have happened to .... _

Kim and Bonnie screamed at the same time: "TARA!!!!!!!!!"

A very bright bolt of lighting and a large boom of thunder echoed through the ears of all that were in the group.

The two cheerleading friends ran far ahead of Ron and the other Possible family members. Ron, James, Anne, and the Tweebs had to play catch-up in the soaking rain.

Both Bonnie and Kim had concerns about what had happened to Tara on their minds. They feared that she might have been robbed ..... or worse!! They were constantly fighting against the wind and rain until, finally, they came up to the house. There were three squad cars in the vicinity. It was around 12:10 when they finally arrived at the house, 25 minutes too late to pick up Tara.

Kim immediately spoke with Officer Hobble, who had just finished up arresting, cuffing, and reading the rights to the perpetrator.

"Officer, what-what happened here?" Kim asked in a concerned tone.

"Kim, your house .... just got robbed!" Hobble explained in a brief pause to the crimefighting cheerleader, whose red hair was now soaking wet in the driving rain.

Kim covered her mouth with her hands in shock.

Before Bonnie could ask Hobble a question, she heard the sobbing of a certain cheerleader. From 400 feet away from the front door to the driveway, Bonnie immediately recognized where the sobbing came from. She and Kim turned around their heads. The sound's source came from the front door.

Then, out of the battered front door stood a cheerleader with her hands cuffed behind her back. Her platinum-blonde hair was being thoroughly soaked by the driving rain. She was being led away slowly by two armed cops.

Bonnie gasped in horror and Kim shook her head in disbelief.

It was Tara!

Both Kim and Bonnie couldn't believe their eyes that Tara would rob the Possible house and steal their valuables.

Ron and the other Possibles caught up to the cheerleaders and were instantly paralyzed at not the sight of three cop cars and the fact that their house got robbed but the sight of Tara

Tara turned at Kim, Ron, Bonnie, and the Possible family. She gave a weak smile before it faded away from her face. This sad sight brought tears to Bonnie's eyes as well.

"My friend couldn't have done this!!" Bonnie cried as she sobbed into Kim's arms. Her blue-green eyes were welling with her tears. Kim closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh as she comforted the tanned-skin cheerleader. The driving rain was pouring down Bonnie's face like a million daggers piercing her heart simultaneously to see one of the most respected girls in Middleton High arrested for robbery.

The yellow crime scene tape surrounded both the front doors and the back. The house was completely roped off from the Possible family.

A thoroughly soaked Tara was led away by the two officers. Her cheer uniform was drenched with rainwater and a few of her own tears. One of the officers opened up the back seat of his patrol car and led the detained cheerleader in.

Deep down inside, she thought her situation was completely hopeless: being dragged away in cuffs in front of her fellow captains and the Possible family for a crime she didn't commit.

As the back door to the cop cruiser closed in on her, she can imagine hearing the clanging shut of a jail cell door behind her.

Bonnie continued to wail and lament in Kim's arms as she saw her other best cheerleading friend since the first grade being helplessly shoved into the car.

With the rain pelting against the rear of the car, Tara turned her head around took one last look at her friends and instantly screamed with her tears: "I WAS FRAMED!!!! I WAS FRAMED!!!!!" She whispered those three words one last time back to them in a weak voice before she leaned her head against the seat and resumed her crying. The tears were touching the hard fabric of the back seat as the officers entered the cop car. Indistinct radio chatter was heard.

One of her arresting officers started up the engine to his cop cruiser and turned on the wail of the sirens. The rain was now coming down even harder. The cop car containing Tara set its destination ... Juvenille Hall. There, she would be processed and be jailed, for the time being until her trial. The cop car drove away into the distance as a flash of lightning and the boom of thunder followed its disappearance from Bonnie and Kim's sight.

The CSI team gathered whatever evidence they had in plastic bags so that it wouldn't be contaminated. The equipment vans containing the CSI team and the evidence containing Tara's fingerprints also abandoned the crime scene.

The Possible family looked at their destroyed door and stood there in the wet rain. Tim activated the universal remote and opened the garage door. The family, Ron, Kim, and a still-crying Bonnie got out of the storm and huddled into the garage. Tim closed the garage door so that they wouldn't be further soaked by the continuing precipitation.

As if their sitch couldn't get any worse, tornado sirens began to scream across the distance.


	85. Safe Haven

Time: 12:11am

Setting: Camille's Limosine

As the limo continued its brief trip on Highway 49 to the affluent west side of town, Camille was sleeping peacefully with her successful heist being pulled off. Dr. Leon was driving the limosine. The heavy rain was still continuing

The only thing that woke her up from her slumber was the limo phone ringing. It was her father. Camille immediately picked it up as she changed Tara's fingerprints back to her own.

_Mr. Leon: Camille? Why are you not home yet?_

C: Dad, don't you, like, understand? This weather has taken a turn for the worst! I can, like, see on the TV that a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for our area. I was walking home when Jeebs picked me up from the sidewalks of Middleton. 

_Mr. Leon: (breathes sigh of relief) Well, I'm glad that my sweet little angel is safe and sound. Are you and Jeebs heading home?_

C: Yes, sir. We're taking the way towards the back garage so that it'll, like, provide me with shelter from the storm. 

Back at the Leon Mansion, Mr. Leon, knowing that the back garage was far safer than the front entrance, agreed with his daughter.

_Mr. Leon: Ok, Camille, but you must be very careful. I heard that the worst stuff is coming soon._

_C: Yes, sir! I'll be there in 15 minutes! _

She smiled as she hung up the phone and went back to sleep. Her fingerprints changed back into Tara's.

Dr. Leon then turned on the left blinker and went down a rural road with pine trees everywhere. The limo traveled for two miles before it approached a gravel road with the sign "No Trespassing - Leon Property" guarding it. After a mile and a half, the limo then approached a guard's post. Fifteen guards, armed with AK-47s and with 40 guard dogs, guarded a metal gate with an electrified razor-sharp barbed wire fence surrounding their property. The Leons usually take their security and privacy very seriously, for they also own a security company as well as the normal cat-food corporation which has deep roots in the South.

Camille hid the stolen jewelry in a secret, smell-proof, glove compartment in the back seat of the limo so that the guard dogs wouldn't catch the sight of the small duffel bags.

From their posts, the armed guards and guard dogs instantly recognized the Leon's official insignia on their limo. The guard dogs sniffed the scent of Camille and instantly panted with joy for their master. The guards immediately opened the metal gate and cut off the electricity to the gate. As the limo passed through without incident, the guards immediately closed the gate and turned the electricity back on.

At 12:30, the limosine immediately caught sight of the outline of the Leon Mansion, which was Illuminated by the lightning bolts in the sky. It drove slowly to a solid metal door that led to the back garage. Dr. Leon pressed a button that opened up the metal door to the garage. The doors slowly opened and the limo immediately went into the underground garage and then they slid shut. Tornado sirens were also blaring around this time as well. Luckily for the Leons, the actual tornadoes weren't heading towards their direction.

The lights instantly turned on, revealing imported cars from Britain, France, Germany, and Italy. It also revealed antique cars that carried a significant importance to the country's history. Since Camille loved history so much, Mr. Leon bought her many cars that pertained to her interest. The most notable car that she had in her possession was the car in which Kennedy was shot in.

Dr. Leon immediately brought the limo to a complete stop as Camille took out the Possibles' stolen valuables from the glove compartment. The vile doctor/butler pushed in a brick as it activated another secret door. It immediately led back into the secret lab where the deb had her shape-shifting surgery.

"So, Dr. Leon, where are we going to store the jewels?" Camille asked with a smirk on her face. She still had Tara's fingerprints on there.

The doctor, with an evil chuckle, gestured his hand over to an air-tight vault. "You can put the valuables in there for the time being. Neither the police nor your parents or anybody else will know about this robbery. I will keep your secret safe."

"Thank you so much for everything, Dr. Leon! I am proud that you are my uncle!" Camille joyously exclaimed as she hugged her deluded uncle. She changed her fingerprints from Tara's back to her usual set.

"You are welcome anytime, my niece." Dr. Leon replied back. He immediately removed his alter ego doctor personality and replaced it with his usual snobbish butler Jeebs persona.

"Ready, Mademoselle Leon?" Dr. Leon asked in his Jeebs voice as he activated the elevator.

"Ready, Dr. Le .... oh .... Jeebs!" Camille replied in a stuttering manner before remembering which persona she answered to.

The two went up to the elevator as it played the most blandish music ever. After a minute or two, they finally reached Camille's room. Jeebs was tucking in a tired Camille.

At the exact moment, Mr. and Mrs. Leon came in to see how their daughter was doing, unaware that she had pulled off a successful robbery on her own.

"How is my cutie doing?" Mrs. Leon exclaimed from Camille's door. A trail of servants was behind her.

Jeebs lifted one finger in the air then put it to his mouth, indicating that she must not disturb her daughter's slumber.

Jeebs whispered to the concerned mother through his butler accent, "Mademoselle Leon is doing fine. She is all tuckered out from cheerleading tonight."

Mrs. Leon, then silently gave the deb a good night kiss on the cheek as the storm raged outside. Then she hugged her husband. Jeebs was the last person to close the door to her bedroom.

In her sleep, Camille gave a wicked smile and sneer as a large bolt of lightning danced across the sky outside her window, followed by a very long and lasting crackling boom of thunder. She was going to plan the next phase of her plan, something even more devious than what she did to poor Tara.


	86. Imprisonment

Time: 12:27am, Saturday

Place: Cop Cruiser

As the cop cruiser was driving along 49 South, all Tara could do in the back seat was to stare her head towards the storm. By now, her tears were dried up and her voice became hoarse. She then peered her eyes into the distant sky. It was certainly looking like that a tornado was about to form and headed towards the Middleton community. Even though she can't pray with her hands due to the handcuffs behind her, she prayed for the safety of Kim, Bonnie, Caitlin, and all of their families in her mind.

After 15 minutes on the road, the cruiser turned off of 49 and onto an isolated 4-lane road before coming upon an imposing prison complex: the South Mississippi Juvenille Detention Center. It was a very large prison for any juvenille delinquents who have committed a variety of crimes ranging from simple trespassing to shoplifting. The more serious juvie offenders, mostly repeaters, would be transported to the county prison. Tara, a first-timer, would be in Juvie Hall for the time being until her trial.

The design of Juvie Hall was a series of 12 two-story buildings, which was divided up into two wings. The girls' wing containing six buildings was on the left and the boys' wing containing the other six was on the right.

Sixty prisoners occupied each building for a total capacity of 720 offenders. Each wing had its own central hall with a cafeteria, chapel, recreational room, an educational facility where inmates would be learned the basic lessions, a 30-bed hospital wing, a separate building for solitary confinement if inmates acted up, a visiting area wing, a staff accomodation area for the guards and staff. Of course, it also had armed guard towers, electrified fencing with razor-blade sharp concertina wire, lighting and motion sensors, and guard police dog patrols surrounding the facility.

According to Mississippi law, she, as a juvenille offender, would temporarily stay in this facility for four days and offer a week-grace period before her robbery trial begins. So, thus, for the next four days, Juvie Hall will become her new home.

The closed metallic sliding gate was well protected with two armed guards in two towers. Prisoners at Juvie Hall commonly refer to it as "The Castle." As the crusier containing Tara approached the imposing gated structure, the guard in the left tower armed with a rifle nodded his head to the guard in the right tower. The right tower guard temporarily lowered his weapon and pressed a button to open the sliding gate.

The officer in the cruiser showed his identification and was granted access into the facility. The sliding gate behind the cruiser slowly closed shut, thereby sealing off any hopes of escape for Tara. The cruiser came upon the on-site police station to the girls' wing of the juvenille facility, which contained all the important items necessary to strip Tara of her identity.

As the arresting cop put the steering column into park, he got out of the car along with his partner. He motioned to Tara by knocking on the backseat window that she was at the prison facility. Tara, without saying a word, nodded her head in defeat as the cop's partner opened up the backseat of the door. Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky followed by another thunder echo as Tara got out of the cruiser, still cuffed behind her back.

The whoosh of the sliding doors opened her to the police station and then were shut behind her. The two cops escorted Tara to the front desk where a police officer was maintaining the roll.

"Name of new prisoner, please?" Officer Barbrady stated listlessly behind the desk, trying to answer a phone call.

One of the officers quickly replied, "Tara Queen, sir!" He saluted to Barbrady.

The electronic doors whooshed again behind Tara. It was Officer Hobble. All three officers were now looking at Tara, who still kept her mouth shut throughout her whole ordeal.

"Take her around back and book her into the facility!" Barbrady demanded. The three officers, including Hobble, took her to the booking station, where everything was set up to strip every single meaning from her.

First, she, Hobble, and the arresting officers went to the confiscation area. Tara was confiscated of her comb, her purse, her dead cell phone, and the shoelaces from her cheering shoes. . Hobble offered all the items up to the confiscation officer, which then put a couple of items Tara had on her person in a manilla envenlope and the larger item, her handbag, behind the counter.

Then, Hobble walked Tara down the hallway to a changing room. He unlocked the changing room door, which had a window shaded and distorted for privacy reasons and led Tara in. He unlocked the handcuffs behind her back and put the cuffs back on his utility belt, for the moment. Then, he slammed the door and locked it.

After momentarily rubbing her hands, Tara decided that she had no choice but to strip herself of her cheer uniform and into her new clothes: an orange prison jumpsuit. After three minutes, she buttoned the final pip of her jumpsuit and put on her prison-issue slippers. Her new uniform was a drab orange but it fit her 93-pound figure perfectly. On the back of it, it read in large, bold, and black letters: S. MISSISSIPPI JUVENILLE PRISONER. The identification numbers on the front of her uniform were: F32438. She knocked on the changing room door, signaling that she was ready for the next phase of booking: the fingerprints.

Hobble unlocked the door. Tara was now in an orange prison uniform. She handed her purple Mad Dog cheer uniform to one of the officers. Hobble then took out his handcuffs and slapped them again onto her wrists. This time, though, the handcuffs were in front of her for both the fingerprinting and the mugshot portions of bringing her into the fold of the prison system. Tara then looked at the newest fingerprint scanner. Hobble motioned to her to extend out her shackled hands into the laser fingerprint scanner. A red laser quickly scanned Tara's prints into a database system. She didn't feel any pain at all.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next step was the worst part of the booking system: the mugshot room. In that room was a wall with painted black lines on it to depict the prisoner's height along with another officer armed with a digital camera mounted on a tripod.

Hobble instructed the cuffed and uniformed cheerleader to stand to an area, three feet from the front of the camera. Tara did so what the Irish officer instructed her.

"Ok, Miss Queen, stand in the area and face the front of the camera." the officer behind the camera instructed her.

Tara did so and faced the front of the digital camera. The officer snapped a photo of the front of the cheerleader with the black lines in the foreground depicting her 5'3" height. She wore a bland frown as the camera captured a cheerleading co-captain, both broken in spirit and in emotions.

"Wait for it!" The officer signaled that the digital camera was ready to take the side photo of her.

"Now, Miss Queen, turn to the right." the officer again gave the instructions. Tara did so listlessly and bland. She turned to her right as the camera captured the side view of her mugshot.

After taking the two photos, her personal information was recorded and immediately displayed on the Internet for all to see.

Hobble then slightly nudged his head as another officer came in with a long chain and leg shackles attached to them. This was the final part of the booking system: the transporting of the prisoner to her cell. Since it was late, all of the other prisoners were sound asleep due to lockdown.

Hobble attached Tara's handcuffs to the long chain and proceeded to fasten her feet together with the leg irons. Tara's heartbeat slowed down so that her emotions wouldn't make this already-dire situation much worse.

"You will be transported to Building 4. We have a cell prepared for you, Miss Queen." Hobble decreed as he was handed the directions to Tara's new temporary home. He, along with two armed guards, motioned Tara to move. She did, although it was very slow due to the restriction of movement caused by the leg irons. Tara was led into the hallway as Hobble opened the door for her like a gentleman. It led into a breezeway where the storm still raged outside. Both her handcuffs and her leg irons clanked as Tara walked slowly along the breezeway, her head lowered in agonizing shame. A flash of lightning once again lit up the night sky as Tara was shown to a two-story building that had the number 4 on it. Hobble used a card key to open the pressure doors. There were 30 cells on the bottom, 30 on the top. All of the girls' cells were single-occupant while the smaller boys' dorms were double-occupant cells. Hobble motioned to her to go onto the second floor. Tara silently nodded her head as she went up the steps, her shackles clanging against the metal stairs. The two armed officers remained behind her and Hobble was in front of her. Strangely enough, they didn't wake up the other 24 or so juvenille prisoners who occupied the building.

She expected to be tortured and cat-called by other female prisoners, like she saw in prison TV dramas and movies. Luckily for her, they weren't dangerous offenders at all, just mere trespassers and shoplifters.

The cheerleader saw that many of the cells were quite empty for this facility was relatively new. It opened around three months ago. Yet, these cells look like that they date back from the 1950s: barred doors, windows, bunks, and all.

She was then shown to her cell, which was still closed. Hobble motioned to the security camera.

"Open the jail cell." Hobble said in a quiet voice, as to not disturb the other sleeping prisoners.

The corrections officer controlling the switchboard to the jail cells saw Hobble, the two officers, and a broken and shackled cheerleader through the closed-circuit TV. He pressed the button to open Tara's new home for the next four days: a 10x8 jail cell.

In her cell, there were the basic amenities for Tara: an old-fashioned metal bunkbed with both ends chained to the wall with a thin mattress, sheets, blanket, and a pillow all set up for her; a toilet; a sink and mirror; a small wooden nightstand, and a glove compartment to store her non-contraband items. Hobble motioned to Tara to turn her whole body around so that he can unlock her shackles and leg irons. Tara stood in front of the officer and put her shackled hands and legs close to the cell bars. Hobble grabbed his universal handcuff key out and freed her from her handcuffs and leg restraints.

Hobble then nodded his head to instruct the corrections officer to close the door to her cell. The corrections officer did what Hobble instructed. Hobble and her two arresting officers, one holding her restraints, just stood there as the door to her jail cell slowly closed in on her.

She can only her the constant clicking of the jail cell, and the fresh air of the free world, closing in on her.

"Click-click-click-click-click-click-click"

**CLANG!!!!!!!!**

The sound reverberated in Tara's ears. She was now no longer a person with an identity; just a mere number in a youth detention facility. Hobble and the two arresting officers left Tara to wallow in her own despair.

Tara laid her uniformed body onto the metal bunk. She rubbed her sore reddened wrists and feet.

The bunk was a cold metallic touch that not even her mattress can protect from. The remnants of the "Go, Mad Dogs, Go" temporary tatoos faded away from her.

She turned to the side, pulled the sheets and blanket up to her and began to go to sleep on the prison-issue pillow. Exhausted from crying on the outside, she was crying on the inside from her deep soul.

Her identity, her free-spirit self, her very dignity was now shredded into little pieces and thrown into the garbage can.

A few miles away, Tara's other main friends were prisoners as well ... in the Possibles' own bathroom.


	87. Tornado Warning

Time: 12:45am, Saturday

Place: Possible Household

Still shaken up from the events that unfolded in front of her eyes, Kim still embraced the crying Bonnie.

Ron and the other members of the Possible family were still in disbelief as well, for they never witnessed any seies of events like this. First, there was the 48-15 defeat to South Panola in front of all those Mad Dog fans and, now, their good and innocent friend, Tara Queen, was locked away behind bars for robbing their house. On top of that, the thunderstorm was still raging outside.

They were all in the Possibles' garage.

James then noticed a new sound pelting against the roof of the garage. He immediately recognized that it was hail. And then, the tornado sirens continued their incessant blaring.

With a worried look, he turned to the Tweebs.

"Jim, Tim, get the weather radio, NOW!!" James demanded. Tim and Jim heeded their father's command and went into the kitchen where Camille made the fateful 911 call to imprison Tara. Jim opened the cabinet for the Possibles' weather radio and immediately returned to the garage. The wind was blowing through the broken front door. A few items in the living room rattled quite a bit from the wind.

When the two returned to the garage, they immediately plugged in the radio to the nearest outlet. The weather radio stated the following:

_The National Weather Service in Jackson has issued a Tornado Warning for ... Forrest County until 1:20am CDT. _

_At 12:45am CDT ... National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado. This dangerous storm was located 8 miles south of Moselle or 14 miles west of Richton ... moving south at 35 MPH. _

_Locations within the warning include: Eastabuchie, Leeville, Dragon, Glendale, Varnado, Middleton ...._

At that moment, James turned the radio off. For the second time in a week, a severe storm was heading right towards them. Kim was facing the same sitch twice in a row: Middleton loses a game in the series by a huge margin, a series of bad events befalls upon Kim or her friends and a storm appears.

Anne motioned to the other six occupants to head towards their most interior room without any windows: the Possibles' large master bathroom. Jim pressed the button on the universal door opener to open the side door that connects the house to the garage. The Tweebs, Ron, Bonnie, Kim, James and Anne all entered back into the house. They saw that the wind was blowing wildly across the house for the door was still broken. Lightning

Tim pulled out his Wind Counter from his backpack. It clocked at 65 MPH. Priceless possessions, including collector's plates, were being blown off their stands and shattered to the ground into little pieces.

Jim, utilizing the full potential of the universal door opener, pressed a small button on the underbelly of the machine. Instantly, it grew legs and went to the place where the broken front wooden door once stood. The door opener transformed itself into a solid, metal door with door hinges and all. It helped seal off the blowing winds from causing any further damage.

James once again rubbed his hand on Jim and Tim's mussed-up hair for performing .

"That's my boys." James proudly exclaimed. Anne nudged her head a little bit to move everyone to the master bathroom. Bonnie, although her tears dried up a little bit, was still upset over the horrible turn of events the last three hours have presented to her and Kim.

"Hicka-Bicka-Boo!" Tim shouted out his favorite catchphrase

The other half of the Tweebs, Jim, replied back with his own: "Hoo-sha!!" The Tweebs gave a high-five to each other.

The next thing that James heard, though, was a high-pitched scream from his wife. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the master bedroom with a large boom of thunder that followed it. James and the rest came to the bedroom to see what the commotion was all about. He turned on the lights. At that moment, he, Kim, Bonnie, Ron, and the Tweebs all gasped.

Anne was weeping uncontrollably, "James, our fifth anniversary pendant! Its - its, IT'S GONE!!!!!!!!!!" James was in complete disbelief. The robbery has claimed their most valued piece of jewelry. Only the display case was there.

Anne embraced her husband, still crying into his arms. "James!! We GOTTA find that pendant!!! It's our most valuable possession!!!"

James then glanced his eyes toward his daughter. Kim was their only hope of finding that piece of jewelry, for she was a quick detective in addition to being the crime-fighting secret agent superhero that she is. As Anne continued to sob, James issued Kim's next mission, her first in about 2 weeks.

"Kimmie-cub, find out who stole your mother's pendant, bring it back, and bring whoever was responsible for this crime to justice!" James stated his objectives to his daughter. Kim immediately nodded her head in agreement.

All seven people immediately huddled into the master bathroom. James immediately shut the door and locked it, battery-operated weather radio in hand.

"I'm on it, Dad!" Kim said as she immediately pulled out her Kimmunicator. Bonnie and Ron looked over her shoulder.

"Wade, we have a huge problem!" Kim exclaimed with a worried look to the screen.

The Kimmunicator immediately showed Wade on-screen with his usual array of computers.

"Hey, Kim! What's up?" the 13-year old computer genius asked Kim.

Ron yelled through the Kimmunicator's screen, "Wade! KP's family got robbed!"

Bonnie added in, "And the thief stole their anniversary pendant worth $100,000!"

Wade, who was drinking an orange soda, instantly left his room. All the Kimmunicator showed was his room as Kim, Bonnie, and Ron heard, once again, the spitting out of the contents of the soda and the running of water from the bathroom sink before Wade returned to his chair.

"You're right, Kim! This is a huge problem and ...." He instantly gasped as he continued typing along on the keyboard. "I've been looking at the evidence from the case and it all points to one person --- Tara Queen. She is being detained at the juvenille hall. Her fingerprints are all over the jewelry."

"That's our point, Wade!" Bonnie cried out briefly before taking a deep breath and calming down. "Something doesn't seem right at all. Why would an innocent cheerleader and one of my best friends commit this horrible crime to Kim? If K is going to investigate in this case, I'll join in with her as well!"

"Count me in!" Ron added with a cocked eyebrow. "Rufus would agree with me if he was here, but he went home with my parents."

"I understand," his red-haired girlfriend agreed. She knew that Rufus would be afraid of these types of thunderstorms.

All three friends nodded their heads in agreement of their common goal: find out who really stole their jewelry and set Tara free.

"I'll catch you up later, guys! Right now, the storm's above our house!" Wade exclaimed as Mrs. Load yelled for him to move to the hall bathroom as the two heard bits of hail on top of them. The Kimmunicator screen went back to the KP logo again.

Then, Bonnie noticed something else that was wrong. "Uhhh, Kim? Ron? I hate to tell you this but I just noticed that the lights are beginning to flicker!" And indeed, she was right. The bathroom lights began to flicker on and off.

Kim and Ron noticed it as well as the boyfriend/girlfriend couple held their hands together for protection and safety.

And then the last thing that they heard was the carbon monoxide alarm and the smoke detectors emitting off a loud beep.

And suddenly ---- darkness.

"Oh, no!!" Tim exclaimed as the seven occupants in the bathroom were suddenly plunged into darkness. "Please don't tell me ....."

".....that the power went out!" Jim gasped as he finished up his brother's sentence.

Luckily, the master bathroom had a spare flashlight. It was the only source of light that they had.

The tornado sirens continued to blare throughout the entire city of Hattiesburg and the Middleton suburbs as well. Nickel-sized hail was beginning to rain down on the Possible house.

Through the brightness of the single bulb of that flashlight, and through the second series of troubles that she went through tonight, she saw her favorite harmonica that was still in the handbag.

_Mmm, I'll save my new blues song for later. Right now, I got both bad weather and a power outage to deal with! _Kim gave a heavy sigh as she closed up her handbag. She and Ron held each other very closely.

"Don't worry, kids. Everything's going to be alright!" James said with a tone of nervousness in his voice. He turned the battery-operated weather radio back on again.

_We have a confirmed tornado on the ground along the east side of Hattiesburg. It is a EF-0 tornado._

James stayed inside the bathroom with the other six occupants. He did not want to go into his master bedroom where there are windows present, be it an EF-0 or an EF-5 tornado. All he cared about, right now, was the safety of his wife, his children, and their two long-time friends.

For the next 30 minutes, all the seven people in the master bathroom huddled together for safety. They braced for whatever damage this light tornado would bring.

Then, after that, the wind ......... suddenly ............ died down.

Kim, Ron, and Bonnie all breathed a sigh of relief that the worst was over, even though they can still hear the heavy rain on the roof.

James activated the makeshift door and investigated any damage that had been done to the house in the heavy precipitation. A few shingles came off of the roof, but no futher damage was done. In fact, the severe damage to the house and the family that resided within it had already been done an hour and a half ago with the robbery.

"So, what's the damage sitch?" Kim asked as she brought out her mother and her boyfriend from the front door.

"Well, Kimmie-cub, we may have lost a few shingles but the house is fine!" James answered in a proud manner. Yet he still knew that his wife was still upset about the theft of her most valuable, and cherished, possession. However, he was confident as well, for Kim, Bonnie, and Ron are on the case to find that important piece of jewelry and free Tara from Juvie.

Kim kissed her mom on the cheek and her boyfriend on the lips, thanking them for their safety and protection from the storm. Bonnie and the Tweebs came in and hugged their friend and sister.

Suddenly, David and Cecilia drove up in the station wagon in the rain. Suddenly, a chill came over them. The cold front has passed over them. Kim grabbed her Kimmunicator for the current temperature outside. In a couple of hours, the temperature dropped from 59 degrees to just 42.

Kim, Bonnie, the Possible family, and Ron shuddered as the cold rain pelted on them. David came out of the wagon to offer the drenched family his umbrella.

"Thanks, David! We would've gotten even more drenched if it hadn't been for your gracious help! Anyways, we got robbed about two hours ago!" James thanked David and then told him the unfortunate news.

"Yes, I know, James. It's horrible! And poor Tara, I still can't believe it! She's an honest and good girl! What could force her to do this?" David asked with a growing concern for the jailbird cheerleader.

"I don't know, but my Kimmie-cub, Ronald, and Bonnie are on the case. They'll find our jewelry!" James said with a confident look then turned to his wife, who still had tears in her eyes. "I hope."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Well, KP, it's time for me to leave for now. I got a practice from hell tomorrow. It's the only way we can beat South Panola in Game 5 on Monday." Ron explained his team's sitch as he gazed into his girlfriend's eyes.

Kim hugged and kissed her boyfriend on the lips for a brief moment.

"I hope so, Ron. In my eyes, you're the best football player on this Mad Dog squad and I know we can win over the Tigers. We have to believe in ourselves as a team." Kim exchanged those words of hope and friendship into the tailback.

The two gave one last good-night kiss, considering what they had been through tonight: the Game 4 slaughter, the Doghouse Blues, Tara being arrested for robbing their house, and severe weather. Through all of this, they managed to stick together, along with Bonnie, through it all.

Kim blew a good-bye kiss to Ron as he entered the station wagon with his parents. Bonnie and the rest of the Possible family waved goodbye to the Stoppables as they drove off.

The cold weather was already beginning to settle in. Even Anne could feel the bitter wind and rain. James opened the UR door as the rest of the family and the youngest Rockwaller entered back into the still-dark house.

The worst was over, but the Possible household, and the houses that surround it, still had no power.

Using the flashlight, James guided her daughter to bed. Bonnie went into the Tweebs' closet to get a sleeping bag so that she could sleep on the floor right next to Kim. She went upstairs along with Kim and James to her friend's room.

It had been one long, and traumatic, night for her. Yet, Bonnie remained baffled of how Tara could do such a thing to Kim's family considering that she is Kim's long-time friend as well as her's.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Goodnight, Daddy!" Kim called back to her father as he prepared to go downstairs to tuck in Tim and Jim.

"Night, Mr. Possible!" Bonnie said to James in a brief smile before laying down on the sleeping bag. The smile quickly faded away from her as she stared at the ceiling.

James went down the ladder as Kim and Bonnie were alone with their thoughts and concerns on Tara.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"It just doesn't seem right, K! I mean, why would anyone with high morals, such as Tara, come in, break into your house? Something in this puzzle just doesn't seem to fit!" Bonnie said with a vexed look across her face as she put her hands behind her head, lying down.

"I am just as confued as you are, B! I mean, Tara has helped out in her church, in the Middleton community, and at the high school as well. She couldn't have done this!" Kim replied to the tanned vixen, also with an apprehensive look on her.

Then a bright idea came across Bonnie's mind. "Hey, K! How about after cheer practice tomorrow, we'll gather up whatever information Wade had processed from the evidence at the scene on his computers."

Kim had the same excited feeling as her friend. "Then, we, along with Ron after football practice, can analyze the information and see what clues the police might have missed. That way, the police would lead up to the real suspect in this case and, eventually, exonerate Tara!" But then, another concern crossed Kim's mind. "Which brings me to the other problem that this sitch has presented: Who's going to fill up Tara's co-captain cheerleading role for the next four days?"

"Well," Bonnie said as she put a finger to her chin, "I can talk with Sharpay after practice and see if she can help fill void, but for only that four-day span. By that time, Tara will be free for a week until her trial begins. So, either way, Tara is going to miss Game 5."

Kim nodded her head sadly, "Yeah, it's going to be very hard on the squad, but, like any other sitch, we can get through this as a team."

Remembering her speech on that football turf after Game 4, Bonnie agreed with the red-haired cheerleader.

"You're right, K! We will prove, once and for all, of Tara's innocence, recover the jewels, and get the real perpetrator of this crime!" the youngest Rockwaller exclaimed as she closed her jade eyes. Soon, sleep overtook her.

The red, fiery hair of Kim finally laid to its rest on the sheets. The headstrong cheerleader, like so many times, closed her eyes. Both went to sleep at 1:40am.

She, along with Bonnie and Ron beside her, hope to free Tara from her prison through loopholes that the police might have missed in their apparent open-and-shut case of the robbery that befell them.


	88. Cold Heaven

Time: 7:00am

Place: Leon Mansion

As Camille got out of bed, she looked around, yawned, and rubbed her eyes. She immediately looked out to the window of her bedroom and stretched.

Camille pressed her hand against the window and felt a cold tinge to it. She looked around at the dismal, grey clouds that hung in the air. It was a bone-chilling 41 degrees and a heavy cold rain was pouring outside.

_Yes!!! My most favorite weather of all!! Cold and rainy, just the way I like it. _Camille said to herself with a sneer. _I wonder how Tara is enjoying the smell of jail food in the morning? Hmmm, maybe she'll be served the gruel that is common in most of the prisons. That is what the bitch deserves after costing me the elections, my cheer captain position, and having my way with Stoppable. This is only round 1 of her punishment. Once she has been found guilty in a court of law, her life is over._

Debutante, meanwhile, stretched her claws from her fancy cathouse and came upon her master. Both of them gave a smirk across their face. She petted her cat as she continued to stare against the dark and vast sky

_Now that Tara is out the picture, I wonder who will be my next victim of my shape-shifting abilities? Wait a minute ..... since Tara had my co-captain position, today could be my chance to retain the old position Veruca once gave me. Soon enough, I will be on top again. Hah-hah._

Interrupting her train of thoughts on the next phase of her evil plan was the telephone ringing. Camille looked at her caller ID to see who it was.

It turned out to be Sandi Griffin. Excitedly, Camille picked up the other line.

_C: Like, Hello, Sandi!_

_S: Hello, Camille! It seems like you've heard the big news that Tara is officially behind bars._

_C: Yep. Gossip is all over town that she's a thief. _

_S: And I have something (singing) even better!!!!_

_C: What's that?_

_S: Her mugshot is up for all the public to see!_

At that word, Camille became excited over this happy news ... for herself. She covered the receiving end of the phone and immediately went into her favorite victory pose before uncovering it again.

_C: Is it up on the Internet?_

_S: Sure is, Camille. I'll e-mail you the link._

_C: I'm on it!_

After getting off the phone with Sandi, Camille then got onto her PC and got online to her e-mail account. In it, she had one new message: the weblink to Tara's prison mugshot. Camille clicked on it.

And...........

There it was, the day that she had longed for since the loss of her captain position has finally arrived: Tara's depressed face of her front and side views on her mugshot in her prison uniform in handcuffs. Her personal information was all there.

Camille jumped for joy over this otherwise depressing event. It felt like a burden was lifted off of her.

She activated the print function of her computer. Her printer spat out a copy of Tara's mugshot.

_Now, what to do with this picture? Hmm, I wish if I can expose it, but, naaaahhhh .... that would be risky, very risky. _Camille thought out very wise of not to gloat over her enemies' demise, like Veruca often did. No, Camille was far smarter than that

So, she spotted her bed and decided the perfect hiding place for the dreaded picture -- underneath the mattress.

Camille, with every single muscle in her 98-pound frame, lifted the mattress to her bed and put Tara's frowning picture in there.

_That way, no one will suspect me of having bad relations with Tara! _

Debutante purred in agreement with her as she cris-crossed her master's feet before returning to her lavish cathouse

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After taking care of that business, Camille then clapped her hands.

"Butlers! Maids! Servants! Come to me, now!" the deb exclaimed as all of Camille's company: 9 butlers including Jeebs as the head butler, 25 maids, and 50 servants marched in twos to her room. They prostrated their bodies halfway towards Camille before awaiting their orders.

"Tend to my every need! Maids, I want my room cleaned and polished!" Camille carried out her decree over her undelings.

"To perfection?" the twenty-five maids asked their spoiled leader.

"Yes, to perfection!" Camille said with a scoff. The maids genuflected to Camille. Like Veruca's maids, Camille's had no feelings or emotions whatsoever. All they did was to answer to one person only: Camille.

So, the maids began dusting her room so that no smidget of dust was found at all.

"Servant 28!" Camille called out to one of her servants. A servant with the red numbers of 28 sewed onto her shirt bowed and gave praise to Camille before motioning with her fingers for her to stand up. "Bring me my Mad Dog cheer uniform: the purple one." she ordered this command to Servant 28.

She opened up the closet doors before Camille. And, like Veruca, she had the same hard-to-find high heels and stilletos as far away as France, Italy, and the UK. This also included clothing that is so shocking and revealing that Kim would immediately be grounded for three years if her father ever caught her in one of those micro mini-skirts and croptops that cost around $10,000.

Her purple uniform was, as usual, in excellent condition. But then, she caught her eye on the other Mad Dog cheerleader uniform that she wore: the gold one that they used for the away games for the last two years. The servant gave Camille her usual purple uniform, but all her attention turned upon that gold cheer uniform that she had worn ever since sophomore year.

She gave a single look of disgust.

The gold uniform was in the most horrible and deplorable shape that she had ever seen. In fact, Veruca hasn't changed the away uniforms in two years. The edges of the trim were tattered and the skirt was too small for her.

There was even a hole underneath the left long sleeve.

_Dammit. I wish if Veruca would've changed the away cheerleading outfits. It would, like, so help. _Camille thought to herself. She then snapped her fingers again and her servants immediately dressed her in the purple cheer unform. She knew that the Mad Dogs would have

"Servants, tend to my away uniform!" Camille decreed. The servants did so as they carried her fragile gold uniform in order to, hopefully, repair it.

Her butlers, including Jeebs, led her downstairs to a large and spacious dining room where her parents were eating a very lavish breakfast. Practice was scheduled for 8:30 at the gym.

"Mommy, Daddy, I'm off to cheer practice!!" She yelled for her parents. Camille was eating a granola bar because she was in a hurry. Then she told her parents one more thing "Oh, and, like, let me know if the cheer uniform is repaired!"

"Sure thing, honey!" Mrs. Leon called out while eating her European sausages.

Camille strolled out into the cold rain, wanting to know what atmosphere the squad would be in, now that Tara is in Juvenille Hall.


	89. Tattered Uniforms

Time: 7:15am, Saturday

Place: Possible household.

"K? K! Wake up!" Bonnie said as she rubbed the captain's body, trying to tell her to wake up. Kim instantly yawned and rubbed her eyes. The first thing that she felt was the cold air seeping though the walls of room.

"B-Bonnie, its'-its' cold in here!!" Kim shivered as she touched the wooden floor. She could also hear the pattering of the frigid rain against her window.

Still shivering, she walked on over to the windows. As she stared into the vast, endless, cloudy sky dropping its precipitation, she worried about what had happened with Tara last night and, now, with Ron as he endures one his most life-changing practices as well in the mud and cold. But she had to put the incident with Tara behind her. Kim still had to lead the remaining 20 Mad Dog cheerleaders to guide their football team to victory against a seemingly indestructible South Panola team.

Bonnie allowed Kim to be alone with her thoughts as she caught the fresh scent of pancakes and syrup on the Possibles' table. "Well, K, I'll save ya a few pancakes."

"Thanks, B!" Kim called back as Bonnie went down the ladder.

As the rest of the Possible family and Bonnie were enjoying their pancakes, Kim decided that it would be wise to get out her cheer uniform. So, she went into her closet casually and got out her purple cheer uniform top and skirt. It was a little wet from last night but it been though worse before. She laid it out flawlessly, captain symbol and all, on the bed without any tears on it

Then, another article of clothing caught her eye: the gold cheer uniform, the very same uniform that she wore for Games 1 and 2. In fact, the uniform has been there ever since her freshman year when Veruca introduced them. Curiously, still in her pajamas, she experimented to see if the gold skirt still fit her, because she was going to need it for Game 6. When she reached to zip up the skirt from the back, the zipper was stuck halfway on the skirt. Kim tried her best to zip up the gold skirt fully. She kept on tugging on that caught zipper.

Then, Kim turned around her back. The zipper was broken, leaving that skirt around halfway up. She tried desperately to pull it back up with the broken zipper, but it was still stuck at the midpoint.

Kim felt embarassed and ashamed at the same time.

She gave out a brief piercing scream.

She absolutely did NOT want to wear that dreaded road uniform ever again. She threw both the gold top and skirt into the hamper where it belonged.

At the same time, though, Kim would not alone with her cheer uniform sitch.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As Bonnie continued to eat some of Anne's pancakes through the rich syrup, she felt a vibrating ring on her cell. It was from her mom, Wanda.

"Sorry, Mrs. Possible. It's my mom." Bonnie replied sheepishly.

"It's OK, Bonnie." Anne replied with a happy mood as she took another sip of her favorite coffee.

Bonnie answered the call:

_B: Hey, Mom, I'm over at the Possibles' right now._

_W: I know, dear. You told me last night after the unfortunate events surrounding Tara._

_B: I understand, Mom. So why did you call me?_

_W: Well, it concerns about your cheer uniform._

_B: Oh, no! Did my purple uniform get ruined?_

Bonnie prayed that her purple uniform didn't shrink due to all of the rainfall.

_W: No, dear! (laughs) Your purple uniform is fine. (sighs) Wish I could say the same for your gold uniform._

_B: The gold uniform? Oh, you mean our away uniform. What seems to be wrong with it?_

_W: You have been wearing it since your freshman year, right?_

_B: Yeah, and I have taken good care of it every time I do my laundry._

_W: (stutters) Ehhh, unfortunately, your gold uniform has shrunken quite a bit. Right now, from what I can tell, your skirt is so small that .... Oh, my God!! If you would've worn this skirt, I could see your behind!!  
_

_B: Ewww!! Mom! Not in front of the table and especially not when Mrs. Possible has her famous blueberry pancakes in front of me. _

_W: Sorry, dear. But, on a serious not, this gold cheering uniform would, literally, make you a ..... Oh, God! I'm (grunting) trying to get this zipper up._

Bonnie could then hear an indistict metal coming off of the skirt.

_W: ARRGH!!!! I'm-I'm-I'm sorry. It's just that these gold uniforms have gotten far too old for you. Tell Kim that we really need new road uniforms .... and fast. _

_B: I'm on it, Mom._

She concluded the conversation by turning off the phone.

"What happened, Bonnie?" James asked the brunette.

Bonnie explained to them what had happened to her on the phone, "Mr. Possible, my away cheer skirt is completely ruined. And I need that skirt for Game 6!" She quickly finished up her pancakes and prepared to take Kim' plate up to the attic.

"Don't worry, Bonnie. Just ignore it. It's just no big deal." Anne replied with a light-hearted chuckle.

It was no sooner that she spoke those words that she heard her daughter scream across the hallway. James, Anne, and Bonnie all went upstairs to see what was all the commotion about.

"Kimmie-cub? What's wrong?" James asked as he climed up the ladder. Kim, still in her pajamas, gestured over towards her hamper. He then glanced at her daughter's hamper and spotted the discarded clothes. As a doctor, he analyzed them carefully.

They were, indeed, far too small on Kim.

Bonnie and Anne came upstairs as well. It was no laughing matter when Anne saw that gold cheer uniform that had shrunk, especially in the skirt area. She cannot even imagine the thought of Kim being dressed in a ruined cheer uniform for Game 6.

Kim, folding her hands and giving a deep sigh, then felt the wood from her nightstand vibrate from her cell phone, non-stop. Her phone was picking up message after message. The captain took the cell phone and scrolled down. She bulged out her eyes in shock. She had never seen so many complaints like this.

_Caitlin: The gold uniforms have to go!_

_Liz: I can't even fit the top anymore!_

_Jessica: The zipper on the back of my skirt is totally stuck and broken!_

Kim now had another major sitch on her hands: getting new cheer uniforms for road games. The Mad Dog cheerleaders needed them, and wanted them, badly.


	90. Practice From Hell

Time: 7:20am, Saturday

Place: Stoppable household.

As Ron immediately pounded his fist against the alarm clock, he rubbed open his eyes. He felt the window and was jolted awake by the fact that it was 41 degrees and raining outside.

_This is going to be one long practice for me, _he thought to himself, _but it's the only way that we can defeat South Panola. _

Rufus, who curled around his master's lap, gave a loud yawn as well.

"Brrrrrr", the naked mole-rat replied as he put his tiny hand on the window to realize how the temperature had dropped by 15 degrees.

Ron took out his robe and put it around him as he went downstairs to have breakfast. He had cereal but still longed for Bueno Nacho to have an actual breakfast menu.

After breakfast, he showered up and put on his athletic warmups and long-sleeved shirt.

"See ya, Rufus. I'll be back in eight or nine hours. It all depends, old buddy." Ron sadly said to his favorite pet before closing the door behind him.

"See ya, Ron!" Rufus called back to his master.

Rufus grabbed a snow cap and a scarf and shivered on top of his bed before pulling up the covers to him. His pink body was warmed up by all those sheets. Rufus went back to sleep.

Ron grabbed his coat and headed out the door with his father. After saying good-bye to Cecilia, the two went out. The cold rain was pouring against the two Stoppables as David unlocked the doors to the station wagon.

The wagon started its engine then drove off to Middleton High, where Coach Barkin was going to make some changes to his team.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 8:15am, Saturday

Place: Middleton High Stadium

The star tailback and captain made his way from his dad's car to the football field, where the other players were gathering. The rain continued to pelt upon his hair as he arrived 15 minutes early for practice. About half the team was there. He spotted Barkin talking with Assistant Coach Taylor about his new defensive plans.

"Coach! Coach! I'm here!" Ron called out to Barkin.

Eric Taylor left the head coach to talk with his star player.

"Ah, Stoppable, you're here 15 minutes early." Barkin said with a brief smile on his face to his star player before becoming more serious about today's intentions. "Still, though, we are going to practice for 8 hours! We aren't going to give up until that bland 4-3 defense is revamped!! Offense is going to practice for 3 hours, then we'll have the lunch break, then we'll practice the new moves to our defense for the next 5 hours. Now, get to your position on offense, Stoppable!"

Ron, understanding that this practice would push his body to its very limits, nodded his head to the coach and took up his usual position behind Stan as the practice began.

The next three hours saw an uneventful change in offense. The Mad Dogs will still remain a run-first team with Number 7 leading the way. Unstoppable Stoppable continued to outrun the defense as usual with his running skills against the base 4-3 defense.

Barkin then experimented with the I-option formation, the very same formation that South Panola uses, with his speedy backup quarterback, Axel Brodie. And, like what the Tigers did to the Mad Dogs in Games 2 and 4, the runners easily broke through the open holes.

As he studied the plays very closely, Barkin tried to find some sort of weakness against the I-option with his 4-3 defense. Unfortunately, he didn't find any.

Ron, himself, got a couple of scrapes and bruises and a bit of mud on his #7 jersey, but still, he was in good spirits.

Then, the whistle shrilled in the cold rain from Barkin's mouth.

"Allright, you Mad Dogs, time for your lunch break!" Barkin commanded his troops to take a mandatory lunch break. Ron and the other Mad Dogs broke practice so that they can enjoy their lunch and shift their concentration from changes in offense to the major changes that will be made on the defensive side of the ball.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 12:00pm, Saturday

Place: Middleton Fieldhouse

While the players were enjoying their lunches at the fieldhouse, Ron had the Nacoes. This was courtesy of Bueno Nacho, of course. He was sitting next to Skeeter and Butters.

He took a deep breath and sighed as he stared endlessly at the tortilla chips. _Bueno Nacho isn't the same without Rufus or Kim. _Then, he though about the second, and harder, portion of the practice: the defense. _Still, though, I must fight on through this practice!!. And I will fight with Kim cheering me on. Even though she isn't here with me, I know, deep down in my heart, she'll always be there for me._

After lunch, the players returned out into the cold and sleet. By now, due to all the rain, the field has transformed itself into a large 100-yard mudpit. Ron groaned to himself that he has to endure five more hours of practice with the cold ground and driving 41-degree rain. When he got into the huddle with Axel, he expected the 4-3 defense. The offense lined up in the Tigers' usual I-formation. But Barkin had someting different up his sleeve.

Instead, Barkin whispered to the defensive coordinator's ear to put in a 3-4 defense with Tracey Sketchit in for Ralph Wiggum. As the huddle broke, Ron went behnd Troy and Axel, but noticed that there were four linebackers instead of three. The ball was snapped and handed off to Ron. Mikey and Butters immediately wrapped him up at the line of scrimmage as Ron got a much-needed mudbath. From helmet to cleat, he was soaked in mud, and he still had five more hours to go.

Coach Barkin used all seven of his tailbacks: Ron, Ladario, Zeke Baylor, Chad Danforth, Dwayne Robertson, Chad Morris and Donny Dion, in that I-option formation. He used the 3-4 defense, as opposed to the base 4-3 defense. As a result, all seven of them failed to get to the line of scrimmage.

This got Coach Barkin to thinking. _If I utilize multiple defenses, I can confuse South Panola's I-formation. Yes!!! I believe I have a plan to stop South Panola once and for all. The 3-4 defense seems to work, now, for the 5-2 defense._

He called out to Ladario Jones,the backup defensive tackle. "Jones!! Get in the defensive huddle!"

"Yes, sir!!" Ladario barked out as he put on his Mad Dog helmet. He and Ralph subbed in for Tracey and Jimmie.

Again the ball was snapped its postion from the mud-stained field. Axel gave the ball off to Ron but Ladario stuffed him immediately to the ground. His royal purple number 7 jersey was completely covered in mud and dirt.

For the next several hours, he switched around with his 11 players with such looks including the 3-4, 4-4, 4-2-5 stack, and 3-3-5 stack. He rarely used his nickel or dime offense, knowing that South Panola will utilize the run and rarely pass.

As the practice wore on, Ron was getting more and more exhausted. He kept on thinking about three things: One, the sweet smell of those Nacoes with Rufus; two, the investigation that could help set Tara free; and three, his red-haired cheerleading girlfriend.

All those three things sustained him throughout the grueling five-hour practice on defense.

Barkin also noted a significant change as well. The Mad Dogs were getting better and better on defense on defending the run.

When the practice finally came to an end at 5:00pm, no Mad Dog jersey was spared from the cold mudbath being given by the soft ground. Ron's jersey was the most covered in mud. They all huddled to Barkin in the center to hear the news from their head coach.

_"Alright you Mad Dogs! Over the last eight hours, we have been a changed football team. Although we have changed very little on offense, we have significantly revamped our defense to counter that running game of South Panola's. I've been reading the weather reports and the kickoff temperature for Monday's Game 5 is going to hover around 39 degrees with a cold drizzle. We won't practice tomorrow because I believe this is the practice that we need to beat the Tigers and regain the lead in this series! Now, we are all in this together! If we act as a unit, then we can win over the Tigers. However,_

Everyone, remember what we have practiced today!"

Then he nodded his head to Ron in agreement.

"Stoppable, let's break practice!" Barkin gave a small smile to Ron.

Ron, who was just as determined as everyone else on the team, gathered everyone. He was covered in mud from head to toe. Even his blonde hair was feeling the pain of the cold precipitation falling upon him

"OK, everyone, let's all huddle together!" All the players huddled in.

"We have to beat the Tigers, not as just one player, but as one united team. This is our house and WE MUST DEFEND IT!!!!" Ron yelled out in order to motivate his fellow teammates.

They were now back in high spirits after that loss and, with Barkin implementing new defensive formations and Mother Nature on their side, they feel like they can slow down the Tigers' running game.

After practice, the players took much-needed hot showers and departed for the day.

Ron walked on over to the exterior of the gym. He couldn't wait to meet up with his girlfriend and Bonnie to find any evidence to exonerate Tara.

_Hopefully, Tara's doing OK over there. _

Ron was worried about his imprisoned friend.


	91. Life In the Big House

**AN: Katie Woods is an OC created by me.**

Time: 7:00am, Saturday

Place: Juvie Hall

In her cell, Tara was still sleeping uneasily on her bunk, desperately trying to wash away the horrible events of last night. She was trying to forget the fact that her team lost by 33 points, trying to forget the fact that she was being framed for this crime, trying to forget that she was locked away in a cell in juvenille hall.

Tara also felt a chill around her as the rain continued to trickle down her barred window.

It was, indeed, a very difficult time for Tara. Four days behind bars was hard enough for her, but it was even harder outside because her social life was now being threatened by that stigma of having a criminal record.

_How will the squad welcome me back if I have a criminal record? I don't want to be rejected! I've suffered enough as it is! _she said to herself.

The cold air also made her way into her jail cell, but was negated by a heater.

All of these worries were cut off when she heard the buzzer sound, signalling for the inmates of the girls side of the facility for breakfast. The barred door to her cell opened up as the corrections officer motioned to her to walk out of the cell to attend breakfast with the other inmates. The officer told her of the primary routine for food.

"Miss Queen, we also have a separate mess hall in each building aside from the cafeteria in the main building. The mess hall is for breakfast and lunch and the cafeteria is for dinner. If you act up any time, we're sending you to solitary! NO QUESTIONS ASKED!" the corrections officer exclaimed to the imprisoned cheerleader.

Tara nodded her head as she got up from her bunk and briefly rubbed her eyes. She stretched her body before walking ouside of her cell. A guard and the officer followed her to the mess hall where the other 24 female inmates of Building 4 were eating.

As she was walking down the stairs with the guards, Tara was still confused of why there were armed guards and dogs around the prison when these girls had only committed crimes of trespassing and shoplifting. She noticed it when she first arrived at the complex not more than seven hours ago.

The three went downstairs to a windowless room where a couple of the prisoners were serving them their breakast. Tara expected the worst with gruel being served to her nonstop for the next four days.

Luckily for her, she was wrong. The prison building that she was placed in was actually serving sausage links and bacon. Tara rubbed her eyes. She actually thought that the disgusting gruel would be served.

As she received her breakfast and eating utensils, Tara was finding her place at a table. A few guards were positioned around the room just in case if there was a fight or riot that broke out.

Then something else caught her attention. It was another prisoner in an orange jumpsuit. She was not more than 17 years of age. She had long brown hair and it was held back by a rubberband. When the other prisoner turned her head around and spotted Tara, she had the most beautiful hazel eyes that any man would gaze upon in the endless sky. She had rosy cheeks as well and the most beautiful pearly-white smile.

Tara was in a little shock. She wondered why such a friendly person would be behind bars. _Then again, _she said to herself, _looks can be deceiving. _

Out of her nervousness, she took her seat at the table next to this prisoner.

She knew she had seen that face before.

"He-hello, my-my name is ...." Tara stuttered for a brief moment before picking up her fork to eat her sausage links.

"Tara Queen, I know! I have heard so much about you," the prisoner said in her beautiful voice.

Tara instantly recognized the voice.

It was Katie Woods, who was a former Mad Dog cheerleader. She was absolutely thrilled to see her again, yet was also startled at why she could be in a place like this.

"Hey, Katie!! How's everything?" Tara exclaimed as the two hugged each other in friendship.

"Well, you know," Katie smiled with a cheerful laugh, "I've been trying to survive in this economy. I just can't believe my eyes! Tara Queen, one of the most angelic and Christ-like cheerleaders on the squad in a place like this."

"So what ..... what are you in for, Katie?" Tara asked, still in an astounded look as she continued to eat her breakfast.

"Shoplifting a bottle of shampoo from a convenience store. The judge gave me 15 days in here. You?" Katie answered as she finished up her breakfast but wanted to continue this reunion of imprisoned Mad Dog cheerleaders.

"Me? For some reason, I am accused of robbing Kim's house of jewelry, but I would never do something like that! I'm going to be in here for 4 days then be off a week before my trial begins" Tara explained the nature of her "crime" to Katie and gave a light laugh before she finished her breakfast. The two stood up and put away their trays. She was still a little bit confused at the schedule of how the prison works as the guard guided them out.

The guard guarding the mess hall gave the two jailbird cheerleaders a few options. "You can either return to your cells until lunch or you can work out in the gym room."

"Say, Tara, let's continue our conversation over in the gym room." Katie suggested to her former cheering friend.

"We shall," Tara replied happily as the guard escorted them to the vacant gym room. The gym room, aside from its barred cell door came pretty well equipped with dumbbells. The platinum-blonde grabbed a couple of 5-pound weights and Katie did the same as well.

"So, any new news from the Mad Dog squad?" Katie asked. She hadn't been a part of the cheer squad in a year.

"Well, me, Bonnie, and Kim have occupied the co-captain positions on the squad. We were very excited over this when the emergency elections finished up." Tara responded in a jolly mood.

Katie was excited over this. "I'm just glad that Veruca, Camille, and London are no longer occuping those positions!"

"I think London's changed for the better. She's no longer picking on us anymore. Camille, ehhhhh, I think she's still the same spoiled woman." Tara described of how one wicked cheerleader managed a change of heart and that the other still didn't.

The hearing of the name of Veruca also brought back a familiar painful memory to Katie. She turned her hazel eyes to Tara in a more serious mood. "Tara, you wanted to know why I quit the squad? Think back to the time when Bonnie suffered that leg injury from one of Veruca's perilous pyramids."

Like opening up a carefully-stitched wound, Tara thought back to that fateful day in cheer practice of Bonnie's leg injury. She remembered almost all of that traumatic event: Bonnie falling off the middle of the pyramid and her knees hitting the hard cheerleading floor, all nine of those cheerleaders getting bumps and bruises, her grimacing in pain and the shedding of tears as London tried to apply that ice pack, the scene of London abandoning Bonnie and the start of wearing the mask of shame over her face, Kim and her friends carrying Bonnie and calling for help. Then, the worst image of that day came to her mind: Veruca, with a couple of cuts on her hands, kicking Bonnie's broken leg twice before Kim pushed the deluded captain back and helping Caitlin, Sharpay, Tara, and Bebe to tend to Bonnie before emergency personell arrived.

"Yes, I saw everything with my two eyes! Argh!! I would just get mad when Veruca kicks my best friend's injured leg!" Tara exclaimed as she continued to build up her muscles through the weights.

"After the incident, I immediately told Mrs. Johnson that I was going to quit the squad because of what Veruca did. So, I did what I had to do. I did not want to see that monster on the cheer squad again as much as you do, Tara." Katie explained.

Tara gave a smile, the first time in eight hours, "It's a good thing that awful deb is in prison!"

"Ummmm, about that 'prison' comment!" Katie stammered as she gestured her hand towards the barred window of the exercise room that faced a certain building that had the large and imposing number six on it. Tara dropped her dumbbells took a very long and hard look at the building. It stood at the bottom of a hill from where Building 4 was facing. It was roughly around the same size of the other buildings on the prison campus, but this building seem to have four extra armed guard towers. German Shepherd guard dogs, watched closely by their masters, snarled and sniffed on the grounds within the building as they scoured for any unwanted escapee from Building 6 to be eaten alive. And a mesh fence was also set up, combined with the sharpest points of barbed wire anywhere found on earth.

"Right there, Tara, stands Building 6." Katie said in a dramatic mood. "That's where all the worst female prisoners end up in. They do not get out until the age of 21 and the guards in that building will treat you like shit! Even worse, Veruca is detained in that building as we speak!"

At the mention of Veruca being in the same facility as Tara, her smile immediately dropped. _Oh, hell, no!!! Veruca's in the same prison as I am!!! She wants revenge against me for what happened at the Swirlies!! If I get convicted on this robbery charge, my life is completely over!!!_

Katie saw Tara's worried look and instilled confidence in her. "Don't worry, Veruca is going to be stuck in there!"

Tara, still stunned that their former captain is in the very same facility as her, sat back down on the bench. She wanted to know what goes on inside that dreaded Building 6 so if she is convicted of robbery and given the maximum of being sent here until she's 21, the worse-case scenario, she'll be ready to serve it.

"So," Tara said nervously "what does go on in Building 6?"

Katie gave a deep breath before explaining to her the horrors that go on in the most secure part of the facility.

"From what I can tell from prison gossip, in Building Six, instead of giving you the standard orange uniform," she said, tugging lightly on her orange uniform, "they give you the striped black-and-white uniform, complete with harmonica and the black-and-white hat. And the worst part about it is that all inmates in that building must also wear the ball and chain. These inmates are stuck in their cells for around 22 hours a day. And the guards feed them gruel and slop for all three of their meals. And their cells are, like, completely 1920s. Instead of using the metal bunks like down here, they use the wooden bunks --- minus the mattresses." Then Katie put her hand on Tara's shoulder as a sign of concern. "There are just so many horrors that I don't want my good friend to go down there."

Then, she also remembered another horrible memory: how Veruca was dragged to Building 6. "I was asleep on my bunk at when I heard the dragging of something metal screaming and yelling. Then I looked over the bars and saw Veruca being dragged by six guards. She was wearing the black-and-white uniform and her leg was attached to the ball and chain. She was uttering blasphemies against God and Heaven unlike anything I've ever seen before. I tell you, Veruca's getting mentally unstable! I worry for you, Tara!"

Tara, realizing the ultimate sitch in her life, saw the ultimate fear in her eyes. She visioned herself in that building with that black-and-white uniform on her, ball and chain attached to her, playing a harmonica in the jail cell with a wooden bed mounted to the wall. And then she visioned Veruca coming in and became Tara's cellmate.

At that point, she recoiled in fear.

The stakes on her freedoms became much higher than expected. _Dammit!! Kim!! Bonnie!! Please get me out of this hell!!! _Tara thought to herself.

She and Katie asked the guard to see if they could go back to their cells for a couple of hours before lunch. The guard agreed to guide the two back to their cells. When Katie came to her cell, she waved back to Tara.

"See ya at lunch, Tara!" Kaite called out, waving her hand through the bars.

"See ya, Katie!" Tara exclaimed in the distance as she waved back. The guard motioned her to go upstars.

As the guard finally guided her back to her cell and locked the door up, Tara laid down on her metal bunk.

She thought of all that had happened so far in her first day behind bars. On the positive side, she managed to find at least one old friend in the prison. But on the minus side, she was mortified at the fact that Veruca was in the same facility as her.

_If I am found guilty of robbery, Veruca is going to torture me day and night!! _Then, she took a deep breath. _I hope Kim and Bonnie can help set me free!!_

She can only hope.


	92. Uniform and Captain Sitches

Time: 8:30am, Saturday

Place: Bebe's truck

As Bebe drove Kim, Caitlin, Sharpay and Bonnie to the gym in her truck, Kim could see the power company trucks restoring power to the rest of Middleton.

She continued to pray that all the power would be restored to Middleton.

Both captains were discussing two things of significant importance to the cheer squad: one, the issue of Tara being incarcerated and two, the tattered gold away uniforms.

All the purple-uniformed cheerleaders carried those uniforms in their backpacks.

"I'm still worried about Tara, K! What happens if she .....?" Bonnie then shuddered. She did not want to think of the things that would happen to her other best friend in prison.

"Don't worry, B. Once practice is over, you, me, and Ron will begin the investigation as we can. I promise we'll free Tara on any unseen evidence the police didn't gather." Kim vowed to her longtime friend. "And the real culprit will be behind bars!! Tara was one of the best cheerleaders to ever wear the Mad Dog uniform."

Bonnie nodded her head, then stared at her backpack containing her ruined cheer uniform.

"Which bring us to our other dilema: the away cheer uniforms. We all have seriously outgrown these gold uniforms!" the tanned-skinned co-captain declared as she unzipped her backpack to stare at her gold skirt, broken zipper and all. She analyzed it for a brief moment, then concluded "This skirt is so small that it would show off my ass!"

Sharpay and Caitlin, the two other Mad Dog cheerleaders in the vehicle agreed with Bonnie as well. Their skirts were, indeed, about the same size as Bonnie's and they have considerably shrunk.

Then, Sharpay told them about the reason why the sitch with the gold uniforms were such a big deal: the MHSAA's policy on cheerleading outfits: "Oh man, I forgot. The MHSAA's policy states that all cheer squads, including us, must have one home uniform and one away uniform and if we don't have an away uniform, we can't cheer at the away games."

"Oh, great," Kim moaned as she slapped her hand across the top of her face, "Where can we find new road uniforms in the span of only a few days?"

That question lingered in her head once the truck pulled into the parking lot near the gym.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Around that same time

Place: Camille's Limo.

Camille, meanwhile, kept a smile to herself as Dr. Leon, still in his Jeebs butler persona, drove his crafty niece in the cheer outfit to the gym.

She was looking at four pictures: Caitlin's, Sharpay's, Bonnie's, and, lastly, Kim's. Camille was going to plan who to suffer next to her shape-shifting powers.

_Hmmm, now that Tara is behind bars, who should I strike next? Decisions .... decisions. _

She first stared at the photo of Kim,_ I could strike down the heart of the lion and end her brief little reign as captain, but I knew my enemy's strength firsthand when she cuffed Veruca after the Swirlies. So, framing Kim for a crime right now is not a good idea. _

Then, her eyes caught Bonnie's picture. _Then, there's Bonnie. Although she ain't as talented as Kim is, she's a pretty damn good cheerleader and also a very formidable foe as well, so she's out of the picture, for now._

Finally, she stared at the photos of Sharpay and Caitlin.

_I'll save these two until the very end of this series. Which leaves me between Caitlin and Sharpay. Evans is a senior and she's smarter that what she appears to be, so it's down to ... Caitlin Cooke!! _

Camille squeezed the image of Caitlin with her hand.

_THIS is the cheerleader I need to strike next! She suffered underneath the swirlies and, if I know her well, she's prone to crying bouts!_

She stroked her chin to formulate the next phase of her evil plan ----- frame Caitlin and see to it that she suffers the same fate that befell upon Tara.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 8:25am

Place: Middleton Gym

As the cheerleaders made their way into the gym, they were all carrying one tattered gold uniform after another. And almost all of the squad were also carrying their heavy hearts and prayers for Tara as the cold air continuted to swirl around them. The cloudy skies and rain made the scene even more depressing.

Camille's limo arrived just in time. As she came out of the door, the cold wind was whistling through her blonde hair. She took a single look at their downtrodden expressions and smirked.

_Yes!! Wallow in your own despair, you stupid cheerleaders! It won't be long before your precious Caitlin suffers the same fate as Tara! Then y'all will be singing the blues even more! Heh-heh!_

Sandi and Carm approached Camille and stood by her side as they proceeded to the gym. They were also carrying their ruined gold uniforms as well.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the cheerleaders, minus Tara, gathered in the bleachers, they were worried that they wouldn't cheer on their beloved Mad Dogs on the road when they travel to Game 6.

Camille was sitting, ironically, right behind her next intended victim, Caitlin.

_Just you wait, Caitlin. Soon, you too will be enjoying the smell of prison food!_

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Jackson, and Mrs. Newman were all watching their fellow cheerleading students.

Kim and Bonnie gathered onto the gym floor. With a fiery determination in her eyes, Kim called out in a very loud voice to attract the attention of the cheerleaders:

"Alright, this meeting of the Middleton Mad Dog Cheerleaders has assembled on this Saturday, two days before Game 5 begins. Before we begin our cheer routines, we have two huge problems on our hands.

First and foremost is the sudden incarceration of our good friend, and co-captain, Tara Queen. She's going to spend the next 4 days in Juvie Hall, so when she comes out, please show some respect. And please, keep on praying for her. She is not just my friend, but Bonnie's friend, the squad's friend, and Middleton's friend as well."

The other cheerleaders nodded their heads in agreement.

Camille nodded her head, not to show mercy to Tara, but because she was faking her innocent appearance. _Heh, I'll spit on Tara's face in private, well away from your prying eyes, Possible! _

Sandi and Carm were doing the same thing as the ex-cocaptain.

Kim then decreed the solution to the first sitch with Tara, "So the first order of business is to name a temporary co-captain who will fill Tara's void for just Game 5. I will select her from the crowd and the other cheerleaders will take a vote on it. If the majority votes against her, then we'll pick another one."

Camille crossed her fingers and whispered to herself, "Like, please pick me, please pick me, please pick me!"

The cheer captain selected her decision to the other 20 cheerleaders present. "I will now pick ... Sharpay Evans to be the temporary co-captain for Tara!"

Sharpay cheered with her curly blonde hair jumping up and down for joy.

"All in favor of Sharpay Evans as the temporary co-captain, raise your hands!" Kim exclaimed as she waited for a show of hands. Instantly, seventeen raised hands, including Kim's and Bonnie's, went up in the air for a brief moment.

Camille, Carm, Sandi, and Brittany Taylor did not raise their hands.

All three of the coaches nodded their heads at the approval of the temporary co-captain, knowing that Kim has their full-confidence in her choice.

"Sharpay Evans, by the power that is invested in me as the captain of the Mad Dog cheer squad, I hereby proclaim you as the temporary co-captain of the Mad Dog squad!" Kim made her proclamation known.

Camille briefly growled then regained her composure. _Damn!! That Evans bitch got the co-captain position. But that is of no concern to me right now. Right now, all my shapeshifting abilities will concentrate its full force on Caitlin. Once she is detained, then I will concentrate on Bonnie and Kim, with the help of Carm and Sandi of course._

_Once the three cheerleaders are out of my way, I will be the sole captain of this team and Carm and Sandi will be the co-captains. Nothing can stop me!!_

However, as she made that scowl across her face, Bonnie captured the image of the deb's brief fit of anger in her mind. _Hmm, from that expression on Camille's face, she wanted to get that co-captain position from Tara. _Then she stroked her chin, _If Camille wanted to claim Tara's spot, then she must've held a grudge against her. I knew that she had royal tantrums when Tara's vote made Kim the captain of the squad and then I remembered her loud scream when Tara claimed Camille's old position. So, with Tara in prison, does this mean that ...... Camille was behind the robbery at the Possibles' house? Yet, Wade said himself that Tara's fingerprints were all over the evidence! Something doesn't seem to fit right, but I just can't point my finger on it._

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After dealing with the first sitch on her agenda, Kim then turned to the other problem that the Mad Dogs were facing, the ruined uniforms.

"Nowonto the second agenda on our list," the cheer captain said before pulling out her gold uniform from her backpack, "the away uniforms. We all know of the Association's policy of having one home and one road uniform for every cheer squad in the state."

Kim explained the reason why they wanted new road uniforms .... and fast:

"These gold uniforms are made from a very declicate fabric that tends to wear away after a couple of years. The only way that the old uniform could be maintained and the fabric to keep from falling apart was through a very expensive cleaning and washing system. The only cheerleader who could afford that system was Veruca. While she kept her uniform pristine and immaculate, our gold uniforms went through the usual tumble and dry. Look at what happened to the cheering skirt on my uniform!"

She held up her shrunken cheer skirt that was so small that it would show off her behind.

Mrs. Johnson was absolutely mortified at the new size of Kim's skirt. _Dammit!! This is another one of Veruca's sins that she left behind after the Swirlies: the road uniforms that she kept for the last 2 years. I knew it was only a matter of time before .... this occurred. _

Kim continued on with her reasoning:

"These uniforms were introduced by Veruca two years ago and she has refused, again and again, to change them. As a result, her past actions are putting us in danger of never cheering for our beloved Mad Dogs again. So if you have any suggestions for the design of the new road uniforms, me, Bonnie, and the rest of this squad will be more than happy to accept them."

She scanned the crowd for any hands, any hope for the squad to cheer on.

"Anyone?" she asked in a weak voice. After finding not a single hand in the air, she felt that she had lost all hope.

Then, a single hand slowly raised up in the air and a voice cried out, "I believe I can help this squad out!"


	93. The Coolest Uniforms Ever

The raised hand came from that of London Tipton, the cheerleader who parted ways with Camille and was getting to know more and more about Kim and her friends.

"London? You have any suggestions for the designs of the new uniform?" Kim asked at the former deb, who was now more trusted to Kim than with Camille and her underlings. She pinned all those hopes for the Mad Dogs to cheer again in the series on London.

"Yes, Kim!" London answered in a proud and upbeat manner. "In fact, all 22 of the new uniforms are outside even as we speak!"

Kim and Bonnie dropped their jaws at their newfound friend's speech.

She wanted to give something back to the squad. From London's point of view, the worn-out road uniforms were just another set of long shadows being cast by Veruca.

In an instant, the hiss of hydraulics was heard outside.

Before the cheerleaders went out to see what was going on, the rich heiress of the Tipton Hotel Enterprises in her purple uniform stood up explained her intentions:

"About a year ago, after winning the game over Lowerton at Moss Point, I returned back to my mansion when I heard something rip on the back on my skirt. My rear end was growing and it made a tear in my skirt! I got my own personal sewer to help stitch it back up. "

"At the same time though, due to the wear and tear on my uniform in other places," London continued as she poined out the holes in the outfit on her armpits. The other cheerleaders gave their looks of disgust before she resumed her speech, "I've designed a new road cheer uniform that is made of materials destined to last for a long time. It will never wear, tear, or fade away. However, I had to do it in a secret facility underneath my mansion, away from the prying eyes of Veruca. Before the trip to South Panola, these new uniforms were all ready, ready to replace the old crappy ones we have now."

London then led all the other 20 cheerleaders and the cheer coaches outside in the cold 40 degree weather as the other cheeleaders dropped the old road uniforms onto the gym floor. As they opened the double doors, the chilly winds were still blowing against them as an 18-wheeler truck was parked in the parking-lot facing the gym. Camille was the very last cheerleader to exit from the gym.

Kim, Bonnie, and the other cheerleaders wondered what uniforms could be in there.

_Could they be the coolest uniforms that we have seen in a while? _the captain asked that question to herself.

London nodded her head to the truck driver to open up the back doors. The driver got out of the cab of his truck and propped open the doors of his trailer.

All 21 cheerleaders huddled to the back of the now-open trailer to look at their new uniforms.

Kim was the first to jump in to the trailer.

She held up their new road uniform up high, both top and skirt for everyone to see.

All of the cheerleaders were in complete awe and with looks of "That is the coolest cheer uniform ever!!!!" or "Thank you, London!!!!"

The new road uniform top had white trim on the top, a thin gold lining trim in the middle, and purple trim at the bottom. The sleeves had the white trim on top, the purple trim on the middle part on the sleeve and the golden part on the bottom.

The new cheer skirts were cut a little low in the V-shape but were still considered to be acceptable by the MHSAA standards. The top had a slim white lining followed by an even thinner gold trim line. The rest of the skirt was purple with the golden triangle trim to complete the outfit.

To test out the durability of the new uniforms, Kim, in her left hand, held out the cheerleading top against the biting cold. She gave the skirt part of it to Bonnie.

Bonnie tested the skirt part of the uniform and felt the inside of it with her hand.

"Wow! It's toasty and warm on the inside of this uniform! It's perfect for this cold weather!"

Kim did the same with the top part and got the same positive reaction.

"These new uniforms are spankin' !"

All the cheerleaders then turned their eyes on London. Kim, still with the new uniform in hand, hugged London.

"Oh, thank you, London! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!" Kim cried in a happy mood. In her eyes, she was a redeemed person. A friendship immediately began between the two.

London Tipton had saved the squad from a certain downfall and has completely freed herself from Veruca's sins.

Camille, in the very back of the group, gave only a mild scoff at this gesture by London to Kim. _Go ahead, London! Enjoy your little friendship with Kim! It won't be long before she will be behind bars!!_

After the two made up for all the pain they suffered through for four years, Kim then turned her attention to the cheerleaders and her teachers.

"Mrs. Johnson, may I take a vote on the new away uniforms?" Kim asked the head cheer coach?

"Yes, Kim, you may. If we want to cheer again, let's take this vote!" Mrs. Johnson gave her reply.

"All in favor of the new cheer uniforms, raise your hands!" Kim exclaimed to the crowd, her red hair soaking wet in the cold rain.

Immediately, all 21 cheerleaders and all three teachers raised their hands.

Camille gave a deep sigh. _I have to admit it, the uniforms are quite cool! _And she raised her hand.

"Also, all in favor of practicing in this uniform for today, raise your hands!" Kim called out to the crowd. Once again, a unanimous show of hands shot up in the air.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

All the cheerleaders and teachers, shivering in the cold rain, finally went back into the warm comfort of their gym, new uniforms in hand.

So, in the dressing room, all of the Mad Dog cheer squad dressed up in their new uniforms and prepared to practice in the gym.

For the next several hours, Kim and the other Mad Dog cheerleaders did the cheer routines in the new road uniforms. All of them, including Camille, loved their uniforms.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 5:00pm

_Let's go Mad Dogs!!!_

Let's go!!!!

_Let's go, let's fight, let's win!!_

_Let's go Mad Dogs!!!_

Let's go!!!!

_Let's go, let's fight, let's win!!_

_Let's beat the Tigers!!_

_Once again!_

M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N

_Let's go, Mad Dogs, let's win!!_

Kim clapped her hands to signal the end of practice. The cheerleaders, although enjoying their new uniforms, were tired.

"OK, girls, let's call it a day and we'll be back on Monday to finish up our cheers before Game 5 begins." Kim stated to the 20 girls.

They all changed back into their regular purple uniforms in the dressing room, then made their way the gym.

When Kim changed back into her regular purple uniform, she noted that only one new uniform hasn't been worn yet: Tara's.

Only Bonnie was still there. She too was putting her new uniform up and stared at Tara's space, minus the purple uniform.

"Oh right! The investigation! B, we have to go back to the scene of the crime and find any evidence that can set Tara free from Juvie Hall!" Kim exclaimed at the fact that her most important investigation was right in front of her face.

"Right, K!" Bonnie agreed as she put her coat on, We're going to meet up with Ron outside and get to your house as soon as we can. The sooner we can find any evidence, the better!"

The two friends headed back out into the cold weather, all bundled up, where they planned to meet up with Ron so that the investigation can begin.

As Kim prepared to turn out the lights to the dressing room, she visualized an image of a happy Tara hugging her new uniform.

A single teardrop fell from her eye as she cut off the lights and closed the door.

**AN: The new uniforms that were mentioned here are the cheer uniforms from Season 4.**


	94. Parents' Visit

Time: 1:30pm, Saturday

Place: South Mississippi Juvenille Detention Center

After eating her lunch, which consisted of a small salad and sandwich, Tara returned to her cell where she chose the option to wait inside her cell before dinner.

As the cell door slammed and locked shut on her, Tara laid down on her bunk, alone with her thoughts.

_It was glad that I met Katie and the food wasn't as bad as I thought, _she thought on the only two positive experiences that she had while behind bars. Then, all her concerns then turned their full attention on the image of the snarling Veruca in that black-and-white prison uniform with all her anger and rage as she pounded her fists together, ready to make the poor cheerleader's life a living hell once she's convicted on the robbery charge.

Tara then stood from her bunk and put her hands on the bars of the window.

_But then, if I get convicted on a crime I didn't commit, I would be thrown into that horrible Building 6 until I'm at the age of 21!! Veruca would torture me for four more years, just like she did when she was captain of the squad!! _

She stared at the worst part of the facility from her barred window, prisoner-eating German shepherds and all.

_I absolutely HAVE to get out of here and be found not guilty of this crime, or Veruca is going to torture me like she's never tortured before!! Come on, Kim!! Find any piece of evidence that can get me out of this hellhole!!_

After releasing her grip from the bars, she immediately went back to her bunk and took an afternoon nap for the next three hours, until ...

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 4:30pm

"Tara Queen?" Officer Hobble called out to Tara through the cell bars.

Tara, stirred awake from her nap, got up, rubbed her blue eyes and stared out of her cell door.

"You got visitors!" Hobble explained as he motioned his finger for Tara's parents, Emily and Bobby Queen, to approach the cell.

Upon seeing the sight of her parents, Tara exclaimed, "Mom!!! Dad!!!" She immediately jumped from her bunk and embraced her parents. Through the cell bars, she cried out tears of joy as she hugged her mom, who was holding an hankerchief. Emily was sobbing for her incarcerated daughter. She couldn't even watch to see her very own daughter like this.

She did the same with her dad as well.

Tara grasped her hands on the bars for the entire conversation.

"So, dear," Emily asked as she choked on her own tears, "ho-how's ... prison?"

"Well," Tara said with a pause. Emily wanted to know what was going to happen to her own daughter.

"Prison has been okay for me .... so far. I did manage to see Katie Woods." Tara explained the positive side of her stint in Juvie Hall to her parents.

"You mean the former Mad Dog cheerleader who was arrested for shoplifting?" Bobby asked with a little bit of a stern look on his face.

"The very same!" Tara said with a small and comforting smile in this otherwise abysmal situation. Bobby responded with a smile and a sigh of relief as well, knowing that his little girl has made a friend with a prisoner that wasn't dangerous at all.

But then, she told them about the dark side of why she didn't want to be falsely convicted of this crime.

"Mom, Dad!! If I get convicted of this crime that I didn't do, I might stay here .... until I'm 21!" Tara said in a somber mood as she lowered her head against the bars.

"OHHHH NOOOO!!!!! MY POOR DAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!" Emily cried out as she finally unleashed her tears of lament. She continued to cry into the arms of her husband, like the first time that she did on that stormy night yesterday in her room.

"And it gets even worse!!! I might end up ... with Veruca ... in the same building!!" the imprisoned cheerleader said in a hushed tone.

When she heard this dreadful news about her daughter ending up with Veruca, Emily let out a scream that was so loud that it attracted the other prisoners' attention, including Katie.

Emily put her hands around Tara against the bars in a tight bind. She wept very bitterly as the wet tears began to stain Tara's uniform. It was getting too much for her.

Tara, seeing her parents' reaction to her unjust incarceration, decided that it would be best if she were alone with her thoughts.

Hobble nodded his head to the nearby guard. The guard escorted Tara's parents out with her mother's incessant crying slowly fading away from her.

Tara then resumed her rest on her bunk.

For another hour, Tara went to sleep. Yet, deep inside of her, she was awake and alert on one concern:

_Is there any evidence that Kim can find that can save me from Veruca?_


	95. The Investigation

Time: 5:30pm, Saturday

Place: Middleton High Gym

Bonnie and Kim came out of the gym with their coats on, even though the cold rain has turned into a drizzle.

Ron was ready as he called up his father to pick the three friends up.

The three came to the front of the school. Ron had some of the mud in his hair and a few bumps from that eight-hour practice, but he felt that it was worth it.

"Oh, Ron!!" Kim excitedly said as she hugged and kissed her boyfriend. Ron definitely welcomed that kiss as opposed to having eleven football players bringing him down onto the muddy turf.

"KP!!!! I missed ya!!!!" Ron responded back and embraced her in the same manner, "Ready to free Tara from the slammer???"

Kim and Bonnie both nodded their heads. They were determined to find any evidence that can clear Tara's name.

Right on time, David Stoppable's familiar green station wagon pulled into the school parking lot.

"Where to, Ronald?" David asked as the three friends, shivering in the cold, entered into the vehicle.

"Kim's house!" Ron explained their intentions, "We have a friend to save!!" All three piled into the back seat and put their safety belts on as they prepared to go back to the scene of the crime.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Place: Possible Household

As the station wagon stopped by the Possibles', David waved them all good-bye as he drove off into the mist of the light rain.

The first thing that they noticed was that the temporary metal robotic door wasn't there anymore. James was finishing up screwing in the final hinges to the new wooden door. Of course, the Tweebs pimped up the door with a motion sensor and a tiny infrared camera on top of the door.

"Like the new door, Kimmie-cub?" James proudly asked her daughter, "It's filled with all the latest in security technology and ......"

Then he remembered that the three came to the house for a different reason other than security doors.

"Oh, you're going in our room to look for evidence." Kim's father said as he gave a deep sigh. He then looked at the camping tent where he and Anne had slept in since last night. The two sleeping bags propped out of the tent's entrance. Both had been exiled out of their room, for it was where the crime occurred. Anne did not want to go back to the master bedroom where her anniversary necklace was stolen.

"Dad, where are the Tweebs?" Kim wondered. She remembered the Tweebs' ability to make scientific inventions out of household items. Then another idea came into her head.

_If the Tweebs' inventions are combined with Wade's intelligence, we can crack this case in no time!!_

Instinctively, upon uttering Wade's name, she immediately took out her Kimmunicator.

The image of Wade came on-screen.

"Hey, guys!" Wade welcomed the trio as Ron and Bonnie peered in the screen. "Check this out!! I just finished analyzing the evidence gathered up from the crime scene last night and I noticed this. Kim, it seems that the police didn't find your mom's anniversary necklace when they found Tara! It almost feels if someone else was in the house around the same time as her! They also haven't found your mom's other jewelry yet. I believe whoever took your mom's necklace also took your mom's other jewelry as well. I also ran the footprint evidence that Tara made in the house and, come to find out, she was in only one room the entire time: the living room. And here's the weird part: none of her footprints were there, leading from the living room to the master bedroom. It's highly unusual in the fact that Tara didn't go into your parent's room and yet the police are blaming the crime on her."

Kim was completely caught by surprise. _Hmmm.... if Tara didn't make any footprints into my mom's room, then who did? This sitch is getting so weird by the minute. The police must've missed something, but in order for me to find any important evidence linking the real perpetrator to the crime, I'm going to have to involve the Tweebs in this investigation as well. _

She then told the computer genius through the Kimmunicator, "Wade, can you continue the search for my mom's necklace? I'm going to ask the Tweebs for a little bit of assistance."

Wade replied with a salute, "I'm on it, Kim!" The screen went back to the KP logo.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Place: Tweebs' bedroom

Kim, Bonnie,and Ron came upon the Tweebs' room. Jim and Tim were testing out their inventions after a long day of football practice when the three friends came in.

"Hey, Tweebs! We need one of your inventions!" Kim politely demanded as she stood at the foot of the door, her foot tapping.

"You know that we have fifty inventions alone in our room ...." Tim began the sentence.

Jim finished it up, "....not to mention all the other inventions that we've either destroyed or ruined in the past."

Then, Kim turned her head and spotted three swimming goggles on top of Tim's dresser. But they weren't ordinary swimming goggles. They had shades of red in them. The young crimefighter scratched her head. She knew that she had seen them before.

She suddenly remembered! She used them once before when the police were stuck on a recent bank robbery by Shego. She used a gel that had the ability to make the prints made by her boots completely untraceable. It rendered all of the CSI equipment almost useless. But the Tweebs, with the help of Wade, created these goggles with the ability to both see invisible footprints and be able to tell footprints apart. With the help of those goggles, Kim put Shego back to prison where she belonged.

_If those infared goggles helped me out before against Shego, then they can sure help me now and exonerate Tara and put whoever really committed this crime behind bars!_ She raised her eyebrow in confidence at those goggles.

Tim, sensing his sister's interest in the goggles, went down from his chair and took the goggles from his dresser.

"Here, sis." Tim said as he first gave the goggles to Kim, followed by Bonnie and Ron. "Thanks to Wade, we've just updated the goggles so that y'all can find any microscopic evidence that the CSIs might have missed. Fallen hair, powder, you name it, the goggles can find it!"

"Oh, thanks, Tim!!" Kim cried as she huggged her young brother.

The three friends immediately put the infered goggles on and left the Tweebs back to their inventions.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 7:30pm, Saturday

Place: Possibles' master bedroom

After dinner, the three friends made their way to where the robbery took place in and where they hid from the tornado: the master bedroom. The Possible parents haven't occupied it since that timeframe as they struggled to make do in their tent .... in this weather.

Kim nodded her head to both Bonnie and Ron as they put on their Latex gloves, as to not contaminate the evidence.

"Alright, here's the sitch. We have to find evidence, any evidence, that police might have missed in their investigation!" Kim commanded. She knew that if police had done a sloppy and hastily-made investigation, it would make them look bad and that they would make the critical mistake of sending an innocent girl away to Juvenille Hall for a long time.

Kim also armed herself with the Kimmunicator, just in case if Wade wanted to get in touch with the trio.

Bonnie and Kim began to analyze the carpet. Both of them immediately activated the goggles to search for any evidence. Ron went into the hallway to find anything

After 10 minutes of searching, Bonnie was the first to find a shred of evidence that would, hopefully, free her friend. The infared goggles over Bonnie's eyes suddenly caught several thin strands of blonde hair on the Possible parents' dresser. She smelled a distinct odor coming from those strands of hair and closed her nose.

"K? K!!! I found something!!" the co-captain exclaimed with a nasal tone. Kim, who was on the left side of the bed, came to Bonnie with her heart racing. _Hopefully, this isn't Tara's hair!!_

Kim came upon those strands of hair that Bonnie found and noted the smell as well.

"Ohhhh, man!!!!" Kim gave one whiff on the smell before closing her nasal passages with her fingers, "Now, I KNOW Tara doesn't wear this much hairspray, except on special occasions. I'm getting Wade!"

Instantly pulling out her Kimmunicator, Kim activated it from its standby position and put it on the dresser. Wade came on-screen again.

"Wade, we have our first piece of evidence, and it really smells as well!" Kim complained about the stench the fancy hairspray made from those blonde-hair strands. She then took out a pair of tweezers with one hand and still closed her nose with the other. The smell was that song as Kim carefully handled the hair stands with the tweezers. She activated a button on the Kimmunicator to transfer the neglected piece of evidence that the police oversaw and transferred it to Wade's room.

Kim then heard the snapping of the latex gloves on Wade's hands as he prepared to handle the newly-sent evidence in his presence.

"Ahhh!!!! That smell!!! I'll analyze the hairs in no time and give you the results by later tonight. Y'all let me know if any other evidence pops up!" Wade confidenly smiled .

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Then, Ron, still with his infared goggles on, gestured wildly towards the carpet. "KP!! KP!! I think I have another piece of evidence! Come quick!!!!"

"K!" Bonnie tugged on Kim's shoulder, noting her boyfriend's pointing towards a specific area of the carpet, "I think your BF has found something!"

Kim and Bonnie immediately went to Ron's side in the hallway and analyzed the area of carpet that Ron was pointing at.

The scanners from all three of their goggled picked up drops of chemicals that they had seen and had not seen before. Bonnie activated the zoom-in abilities of her goggles and realized that it had traces of shedding human skin on it.

She gagged at the sight, then noticed that the skin was also attached to the chemicals. . _I couldn't believe that the police missed something so insignificant as this!_

Kim gave one good rub of her chin and raised her eyebrow at these new developments in the case, "Hmmmm, all these weird chemicals with human skin has really just jumped the weirdness meter on this case to an eleven. Better get Wade for this!"

Kim went back to her parent's room to get the Kimmunicator. Again, Wade came on screen.

"Any new pieces of evidence?" the computer guru asked.

"Yep, Wade, we do! This time, and you're not going to believe this," Bonnie gave an pop-open eyed look, "we have human skin!!!!!"

"With chemicals!" Ron added in.

"Thanks for the obvious, Ron!" Kim sheepishly replied.

Then, turning to the genius, Kim activated the button and transferred the second piece of evidence to Wade's room.

"I'll analyze these two pieces of evidence soon enough Kim," Wade gave his usual smile, then disappeared before the logo came back on.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Hopefully_, Bonnie thought to herself, _Wade would analyze the data fast enough to free Tara from this mess._

Little did she, Kim, and Ron realize that Tara would have a closer brush with an old enemy.


	96. Dining Between Heaven and Hell

TIme: 7:00pm, Saturday

Place: South Mississippi Juvenille Detention Center

Tara was still asleep on her bunk. The thin mattress was all that protected her from the ice-cold metal underneath it.

_Bzzzzzttttt!!!!!!_

The dinner bell woke Tara up from her nap. The door to her cell slid open as the corrections guard motioned to her to walk out to the cafeteria, where supper for the prisoners will be held at. Tara stood up, rubbed her eyes, and was walked out of her cell. She, along with the other prisoners of Building 4, listlessly marched under the close and watchful eye of the guards.

She still hung her head low, staring down at her starving stomach.

When Tara and the other prisoners came upon the cafeteria, it was segregated into two parts.

The part of the cafeteria on the left was reserved for the female inmates of the majority of the facility. It was very well-kept, spotless, and immaculate. Not a spot of grease was even seen on the stainless steel tables. Tara could smell the fried chicken being cooked by a few of the best well-dressed cooks specializing in prison food. And even some of the inmates of the other buildings gave their positive comments on the food. She knew she wasn't dreaming about this.

Yet, her attention then turned to the smaller right side of the cafeteria, one which was roped off by stone walls, concrete, bullet-proof glass, and a couple of strands of barbed wire.

As she finished organizing her tray of the food, she sat across from Katie, still with that rubber-band for a makeshift scrunchie.

The two were sitting 15 feet away from the other dining area.

"Hey, Katie! What's that area of the cafeteria?" the imprisoned cheerleader asked Katie as she was continuing to consume her fried chicken. She was almost done with her food at that point. Tara nodded her head in the direction of the right side of the cafeteria.

"That..." Katie paused for a moment as she put her chicken down on the tray. "... is where all of the Building Six inmates eat their dinner at. I tell you! You absolutely DO NOT want to go there! From what I can see through that window, they not only serve you gruel and slop but also it smells bad in there. Cockroaches cannot even last for thirty seconds in the kitchen. It smells like last week's garbage over at my house and the week before. Horseflies and fleas fly everywhere around the disgusting food. Nutraloaf is also served to the Building 6 prisoners on a thin sheet of paper. The wooden tables are being worn away by termites. The cooks sometimes scratch their hair and put their dandruff into the gruel. And sometimes even insects go into the food, live, and ....... "

Tara motioned with one of her hands to Katie that she has heard enough of the horrors that reside in Building 6. "Uh, Katie, still eating here!" She did not want this good meal to be ruined.

"Tara," Katie quivered her speech before setting Tara's hands down on the table and holding them "I know that I'm being a bit too graphic about your situation. I just hope that Kim finds any evidence to set you free from this place before ......"  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And at that moment, all activity in the left side of the cafeteria ceased, for they heard a familiar clanking of chains. Tara and Katie's eyes turned their eyes towards the plexiglass shatter-proof window. Immediately, they saw the sight of eight young women, ranging from the ages of 15 to 19, chained together on their right foot attached with a 30 pound ball behind them. They all wore the same black-and-white uniforms and hats that Katie mentioned earlier in the day. All of them wore defeated looks on their faces as they entered the segregated cafeteria on the right.

The glass was definitiely bullet-proof and shatter-proof, but not sound-proof. Tara clearly heard the clinking of the chain and the dragging of the ball against the concrete as it rattled through her ears. Three more sets of eight girls also entered into the right side of the cafeteria in the same manner. They were all heavily guarded by armed corrections officers with rifles.

Tara looked through the windows and was caught aghast at the horrible conditions of Building 6's side of the cafeteria. It was _exactly _as how Katie described it. She spotted a termite colony thriving on two of the wooden tables and she could even see a variety of fleas and flies hovering above the food. Dead and sometimes, crushed, cockroaches were here and there on the floor.

The unclean cook, with his ladle, messily slopped the dandruff-ridden gruel and Nutraloaf bread remnants onto the trays of the Building 6 inmates as they sat down on the uneven wooden benches.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One particular inmate immediately struck a familiar nail right into Tara's heart. She was in the usual black-and-white uniform but a few physical features gave Tara a crippling cringe that she hadn't felt in a week. Out of that prison hat of hers was the faded blonde dye of her carmel-brown hair. The next feature that Tara immediately recognized was that prisoner's icy-cold stare from her blue eyes that would make any parent cringe with fear and terror. And as the prisoner was preparing eating her gruel with a spoon, Tara recoiled in fear. There were two irregular fingernails that were severely trimmed down.

From all the horrible images that she took in, Tara immediately recognized who this familiar evil face was.

It was their ex-cheer captain who oppressed the squad prior to the Sunday Night Swirlies .............. Veruca Salt!!!!!!!!

Although there were a couple of things different about Veruca, including the facts that she dropped a few pounds and that she was dishelved, Tara was sure that this was the very same cheerleader who made her life a living hell.

Even though Veruca didn't look at Tara directly, Tara knew that if she were to be convicted of this robbery charge, she was going to spend the next five years of her life with that monster.

Veruca, while eating her unsanitary gruel, suddenly noticed that Tara was on the other side of the cafeteria. She turned her head, put down her spoon, and turned her icy glare to Tara. She motioned with her left finger a throat-cutting gesture. Tara went into a fetal position, having been traumatized enough by the former heiress.

Thankfully, the buzzer signaling the end of the dinner period rang throughout the left portion of the cafeteria. Tara nervously put up her tray and, like the prisoners in the other five buildings, went back to her cell.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 11:00pm, Saturday

"LIGHTS OUT!!!!!!"

It was time for the prisoners to go to bed.

Tara, who was reading a romance novel on her bunk, stretched out her uniformed body as the top light of her cell immediately shut down. She laid down on the bunk and pulled the covers and blanket close to her body. The blue eyes of the incarcerated cheerleader closed. She was thinking if Kim, Bonnie, and Ron have gathered evidence, if any, that could free her. She even wondered if they were going to visit her tommorow because Sunday, to her, would be a busy day for prisoners to see their loved ones.

_I hope if Kim, Bonnie, and the rest of Mad Dog Nation is thinking about me, _the cheerleader said to herself with a sniffle in her eye.


	97. Termite Problem

Time: 9:45pm, Saturday

Place: Possible household

"See ya, K!" Bonnie called out as she waved good-bye to Kim. Wanda picked her up in the rain, which was now reduced down to a drizzle.

"See ya tomorrow, B!" Kim responded with a joyful smile.

Both cheerleaders carried the hope that the evidence collected by Wade would free Tara. Kim walked to the swing on the front porch. She stared out in the cold air.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the Rockwallers left the driveway, Ron came from the front door and sat on the front porch next to Kim. Kim gave a sigh as she put the blanket around her for warmth.

"KP? Mind if I sit here?" her boyfriend asked in a quiet voice. He knew that the last 24 hours have been arguably the toughest in both of their lives. And with Game 5 of the football series in front of them, the road for both of them would get even bumpier.

"Sure, Ron. I saved the extra blanket space for you." Kim smiled as she opened the blanket space for her significant other.

"KP. I've been thinking," Ron wondered as he got into the same blanket with his girlfriend, "Do ya think Wade will look at those chemicals and figure out where they come from, because I've never seen them before in my life."

"Awwww, come on!" Kim laughed. She was touching the tip of her nose to Ron's. "Wade can figure out the formulas of those chemicals in just a few hours."

Then, the deep romantic feelings suddenly overtook Team Possible. Both had their lips close to each other and kissed. Their romantic moment lasted for twenty seconds before Cecilia and David came in.

With lips parting from each other, Ron stood up from the bench, "Well, KP, I'll have to go for now, but I'll be here tomorrow afternoon."

"OK, Ron, see ya then." Kim smiled as she waved good-bye to her boyfriend and captain from the Stoppable's station wagon.

Kim then huddled the blanket around her shivering body as she went back inside the house.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 11:30pm, Saturday

Kim crawled into bed, but before she put the covers on, she pulled out her harmonica and dedicated her next song solely to one person: Tara.

The drizzle made the perfect scenery for the next blues song that she had in mind: "The Jailhouse Blues".

Harmonica in hand, she began to slide the instrument through her mouth and tapped her foot along with the beat.

_Jailhouse Blues_

_by: Kim Possible_

_(REFRAIN)_

_Ohhh, Tara has the jailhouse blues _

_(Kim: harmonica)_

_Tara has the jailhouse blues_

_Being behind barbed wire, concrete, and steel is never good news_

_Tara has the jailhouse blues._

_And when she sits alone on the bunk_

_Her spirits have sunk_

_Is there any evidence to tell_

_That can free her from her jail cell_

_Tara has the jailhouse blues._

_(harmonica)_

_Verse 1:_

_When Dad's SUV wouldn't start_

_For it ran out of gas_

_We had to abandon the vehicle into park_

_And had to run fast _

_In the driving rain _

_Every raindrop reflected my sorrow and pain._

_Of that night._

_(harmonica)_

_  
As the sirens went flying by_

_In the dark and stormy sky_

_I knew something was horribly wrong!!!  
Ohhh, horribly wronggggg!!!!!!_

_(REFRAIN)_

_Verse 2:_

_We ran as fast as we can to my home_

_But deep inside, I felt alone._

_Police cars were all over the place._

_(harmonica)_

_Ohhh, Ohhhhh, me, Bonnie  
And the rest of my family_

_Were in complete shock_

_As the police told us that the house got robbed_

_But the worst trauma was to come _

_WAS TO COME!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_(Kim: sad wail of harmonica)_

_(REFRAIN)_

_Verse 3 _

_The police escorted Tara in cuffs._

_She turned and gave a little smle to us._

_(soft blow of harmonica)_

_As it faded away from her face_

_Bonnie mourned with tears all over the place_

_(harmonica increases in tone)_

_I tried to comfort her as best as I could_

_But it would not heal her wound._

_Then Tara, from the cop car, screamed_

_"I WAS FRAMED!!! I WAS FRAMED!!!"_

_(harmonica)  
Her words pierced my heart with a dying flame_

_I never saw her again_

_As the cruiser drove off into the stormy night!!  
Into the stormy niiiiiighhhhhtt!!!!!!!!!_

_(harmonica in loud tone)_

_(REFRAIN)_

_Verse 4_

_  
We collected the evidence_

_But this sitch remains tense_

_On poor Tara._

_(harmonica)_

_And when I stared into that empty locker space_

_It reminded me of Tara's face._

_It would've been a happy scene_

_Of Tara trying her new, clean_

_Cheer Uniform!_

_Ohhhh, HER CHEER UNIFORM!!!!!!_

_(harmonica)_

_(REFRAIN)_

After concluding the song, Kim, through her silent tears, put the harmonica back in her drawer. Staring out into the cold drizzle near her window, she went to bed. The cheerleader hoped that the evidence collected by Wade would generate some hope of Tara's innocence, proof that she wasn't involved in the crime.

It didn't take her long to find out.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 2:00am, Sunday

The Kimmunicator instantly buzzed on the nightstand. Kim tossed and turned before turning on the device. She groaned and rubbed her head. _Who would be calling me at ..... Wait!!! Wade!!!!_

Wade's face instantly came on-screen. "Kim, guess what I found in the evidence??"

At the exact moment, Kim's eyes gleamed in her hopes that it finally worked out.

"So, Wade, what do ya got?" she asked with a tired smile on her face.

"First of all, the hair sample. In addition to Tara's curly-blonde hair, I've also found several long strands of straight-blonde hair as well. And from what I can tell in Tara's physical description, she does NOT have straight-blonde hair. So she couldn't have been in your parent's room at the time of the crime." Wade explained the first piece of evidence that the CSIs forgot when they analyzed the scene.

Kim sighed in relief, "Ok, Wade, go on."

"Then, I've analyzed the footprints through the heat-seeking trackers underneath your floorboards. I've also noted something strange as well. My computers haven't picked up any of Tara's footprints in the hallway on Friday night, according to the archives. She usually wears a size 4 shoe. And I've also discovered," He then turned one of his computers towards the Kimmunicator screen, "this!! Another set of size 5 footprints in the living room made around the same time as the robbery."

This made her gasp as she covered her mouth.

Kim came to the ultimate conclusion: _Tara was framed all along and I didn't see it coming. I have to know who the intruder is before she strikes again. Even though we have enough evidence to free Tara, we still don't know who took my mother's anniversary necklace._

Wade came to the final piece of evidence that the CSIs neglected: the chemicals found by Ron. "The chemicals that Ron found in the hallway are unlike anything I've ever seen before. Some of these don't even appear in government databases. These chemicals seem to be comprised of ...."

Before Wade even finished his sentence, he felt that the wooden table holding the computer was sinking lower and lower. Kim saw it too through the screen. Wade turned his receiver to see whom or what was interrupting this all-important conversation. Both were shocked that it was termites that were gnawing away at the wooden desk that held his primary computer, his pride and joy. Kim immediately scurried because she absolutely did not like insects, at all.

"Oh, no, not again!!! I hate termites!!!" Wade yelled briefly as he swatted around a flyswatter, trying to shoo away the termites that were eating the support legs of his desk. Then, turning back to his normal mood, he gave the bad news to Kim.

"Kim, I'm sorry, but we really do have a bad termite problem going on around here. My mom's going to fumigate the entire house tomorrow afternoon, so I won't be able to give you the results of the composition of those chemicals until Monday evening."

"Uhhh, Wade? Game 5?" Kim twitched her head, reminding Wade that the Mad Dogs still have a football series to finish.

"Oh, right, Kim. I'll inform you after the game." Wade chuckled to himself before signing off for the night.

Kim resumed her slumber, now knowing that someone else was behind the robbery.

_But, who? _was the one question that preoccupied her mind.


	98. Visiting Day

Time: 1:00pm, Sunday

Place: Possible's SUV

After attending church and having Sunday lunch, Kim, still dressed in her Sunday-best, climbed aboard the SUV with Bonnie and Monique.

"So, has Wade found any evidence?" Bonnie asked quietly to her long-time friend. She was very anxious to know.

"Yep, B. Wade analyzed the hair and footprint evidence and concluded that Tara did not go into the master bedroom at the night of the robbery. Therefore, she didn't steal the jewels." Kim concluded in a whisper as not to traumatize her mother.

"But what about the chemicals that Ron found?" the youngest Rockwaller added in the next question.

"Unfortunately, Wade had a huge termite problem in his house and we won't get the results of the chemicals until the end of Game 5 tomorrow night, but we do know one thing about this sitch. There was someone else in the house at the same time as Tara based on the footprint evidence he collected."

Bonnie stroked her chin. _Who could be in K's house when Tara was alone at the time? This case has more twists that I can even think of in my head._

Monique tried to straighten it out but couldn't either, "So, let me get this straight! Another person was in your house around the same Tine as Tara?!?! Hoo-boy, this case is so getting weird, Kim!"

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The family, along with the two friends, agreed to visit Tara after lunch and Ann made the preparations. So they drove off and went onto Highway 49 South for the next 15 minutes before arriving at the South Mississippi Juvenille Detention Facility. The three were caught aghast at how many guard towers there were. James had his proper identification scanned by the guards before entering.

After checking in to the vistor's wing of the female side of the facility, the seven of them were then put into a waiting room. Kim twiddled her thumbs around, waiting to see if Tara can understand that she has been unjustly imprisoned.

Twenty minutes went by when a corrections officer came in.

The officer gave his two options to James of the way they can see Tara: either in the jail cell or in a separate room where she would be chained down like an animal. James chose to visit Tara in her cell. He did not want his daughter or her friends to see a horrifying image of Tara being cuffed, hands and feet, to a metal chair. He knows that she isn't a dangerous criminal.

The corrections officer led all seven out of the waiting room and into the breezeway connecting the station to the prison part of the facility.

Bonnie and Kim both took a deep breath. The cold winds were continuing to bite against them and it was still raining. The two friends shivered before the officer opened the keycard to Building 4, where Tara was housed in.

Monique chattered her teeth as well before somehow enjoying the increase in the temperature inside the facility. She expected it to be run-down and to be overtaken by one horrible smell after another, but the fashion diva actually enjoyed the warmth of the building.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Tara was still lying in her bunk, reading her novel. She fell into a sea of romance and love and hoped that this prison stint wouldn't damage her prospects of getting a boyfriend. The heater helped to negate the cold winds creeping in her cell.

The corrections officer came and knocked the bars of her cell with his baton. Tara put down the novel on her bunk and turned around her head.

"Queen, you have visitors!" the officer explained to her before showing the faces of the entire Possible family, Kim, Bonnie, and Monique.

Tara instantly shrieked for joy over at the sight of them and ran towards the bars.

"Ohhhhh, Kim!! I-I miss you so much!!!!" the cheerleader exclaimed in tears of joy as she hugged Kim between the bars. All her hopes of being released from this horrible facility and from Veruca's evil clutches lied in the hands of the red-haired cheerleader right in front of her.

"And Bonnie!!! I missed ya as well!!!!" Tara cried out to Bonnie and both embraced in a weeping manner for a few brief moments before drying up their eyes. She did the same thing with Monique as well.

Tara, now that her tears were all dried up, then explained her prison experiences to her friends and to the Possible family: "Prison has brought a couple of ups and a lot of downs for me. The positive side that I experienced was the food and that I got to see Katie Woods again."

Bonnie was excited to hear that she saw Katie again, althogh she was wondering why she was behind bars. She stared out into the cell that Tara has been living in for the past 36 hours and was less impressed by the bare necessities her cell had to offer.

But the smile from Tara's face was wiped off. She told them the primary negative aspect of why she wanted to get the hell out of there ... and fast.

"What-what's wrong, Tara?" Monique asked, "Why the sad and ..... shocked look?!"

Tara stuttered for a minute. She did not want to utter that name that had tortured their lives for so long.

"It...it's VERUCA SALT!!!!!" she screamed in agony before crying hysterically on her bunk.

When the two words were uttered right in front of Kim, Bonnie, Monique and the Possible family, the carefully-stitched wounds suddenly were cut open.

"Veruca ?!?! That dirty-blonde devil?!?!" James seethed as he clenched his fists with rage.

Tara, upon seeing James like this, stood from her bunk, took several deep breaths and calmed down. In front of everyone, she explained why this is going to have a major impact in her life if she is found guilty of the crime, "Veruca is in Building 6, the worst part of the facility. They treat prisoners there like dirt. If I am convicted, I won't get out of that building until I'm 21! And from what Katie told me, she has gotten worse with her blasphemies against God and Jesus and just last night, during dinner, she made a throat-cutting gesture right in front of me!!"

Then, her hand were shaking in fear. Ann held them tightly to try and nullify the pain of what Tara was going to say.

"I-I think Veruca wants to ...... wants to ..........," Tara paused before releasing her worst-confirmed fears in front of everyone in the form of two words through sobbing and tears, "KILL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Tara released her grip from Ann and cried into the hardened pillow of her bunk unceasingly .

Kim bulged out her eyes as the sitch unfolded right before her eyes. _Now I understand why this evidence is important!!! If I don't show them the evidence that can free her, Veruca could end Tara's life in Building Six!!!! I need to save her life, just like what Bonnie did for me at the Cheerleading Tryouts three years ago and I did for her when she had that ankle injury._

The officer noted Tara's state and, determined that she's been through enough, shook his head to another corrections officer to escort all seven people out.

As they were escorted out into the breezeway, Bonnie was still shaken up over the fact that the ex-deb has gone so mentally insane that she wanted to murder Tara for putting her behind bars.

Kim tried to cheer up her friend by pulling out her Kimmunicator, her only means of connections with Wade. "Even though Wade has a termite problem at his house, he can still be reached and can explain everything to Officer Hobble through my Kimmunicator."

Bonnie understood that it was the best idea in Kim's arsenal for it contains all the information needed to free Tara from this place. "I hope you know what you're doing, K!"

As Hobble gave his greeting to Kim, she gave him the Kimmunicator as the group was making its exit from the facility. Noting that it was in the off position, for Kim didn't want the device to go off during church services, Hobble turned the Kimmunicator on.

The image of Wade flickered on. He was in the Middleton Community Center where his family was making do with what they have in terms of perishable food because of the horrible termites.

"Officer Hobble!" the 10-year old computer guru exclaimed through the Kimmunicator "We have a job to do!"

Understanding that the stakes for Kim's friend were exponentially high, Hobble nodded his head and the two went down to business.


	99. Phase Two

T-ime: 10:30pm, Sunday

Place: The Underground Lab, Leon Mansion.

Camille paced back and forth in the lab, trying to figure out the next phase of her plan: pin the blame of a crime onto Caitlin Cooke and getting away scot-free, just like she did last time with Tara.

She was thinking of only one place where Caitlin would hang out with Kim, Bonnie, and Monique: Club Banana.

_I could use my shapeshifting abilities to transform myself into Caitlin and steal from CB, but I would run the risk of shoplifting in front of 400 people. My powers would be revealed to a lot of people and my plan would be stopped dead in its tracks. Then again, there's the other ability that I possess in my arsenal: invisibility. I can use that power alone to put an end to Caitlin's cheer career._

At that sudden thought, she pounded her fist against the palm of her hand in triumph.

_THAT'S what I need in order to bring down Caitlin Cooke once and for all!! Usually, if I know Caitlin's routine well, they go to Club Banana at around 5:30 after cheer practice. However, this football series and the Thanksgiving break has thrown everything out of whack. _

_Now that school is starting back up tomorrow, I could strike against Caitlin at CB, but tomorrow is also Game 5. The only time for me to execute my plan would have to be Tuesday evening, a few hours before we leave for Batesville to finish up the rest of this silly series. And unfortunately for Caitlin, she won't be attending!!!_

When she finalized her evil plans, the deb gave an evil chuckle and laugh before Dr. Leon appeared.

He was carrying a syringe with a red-like gel, the very same gel that he used when the Possible robbery occurred. Unfortunately for Dr. Leon, he was unaware that while the red gel granted his niece's shoes invisible footprints, they do tend to give away a lot of heat.

"Camille, my niece, when shall I inject your shoes with the gel?" the doctor asked with a gleeful villainous sneer.

"Tuesday evening, Dr. Leon. I want Caitlin to, like, experience the same pain as Tara did!!" Camille grinned. She gave full confidence in her uncle and his team of surgeons that the next phase of her plan would go as well as it did.

"Oh, and one other thing, Dr. Leon. Can I use the invisibility power by itself?" Camille questioned if she could use only one of her powers as not to be noticed by the CB regulars.

"Yes, my niece, you can use your invisibility powers any time you want!" Dr. Leon answered in a haughty mood as he hugged the young villainess.

"Well, Dr. Leon, anyways, it's time for bed. And you know what that means!" Camille nudged on the doctor's side, remining him that he still has another persona to fulfill.

"Oh, right, the Jeebs side!!!!" the doctor exclaimed as he quickly buried his dark and evil side and transformed himself back into the snooty head butler that he was.

"Now, Mademoselle Leon, off to bed with you! We don't want your mother to be angry if you're not in bed." Dr. Leon commanded in his best Jeebs impersonation yet.

"Yes, Jeebs." Camille answered as both of them went back in the elevator up to her bedroom. The doors closed right behind them. Jeebs tucked Camille into bed right when Mr. and Mrs. Leon came into the room.

Jeebs, once again, motioned them to be quiet and all three Leons left the room.

Camille, by herself, gave that villainous smirk in her sleep, knowing that Caitlin was trapped like a fly in a black widow's web.


	100. Winter Wonderland

Time: 1:30am, Monday

Place: Possible household

Kim, alone on her bed, was starting to get nightmares on what would befall upon Tara if she failed her: Veruca stabbing her in the back with a makeshift knife while she was taking her awful shower or Veruca unceremoniously hanging herself along with Tara in their cell.

All of these disturbing images were haunting her mind when she suddenly woke up with a cold sweat. She stared at her alarm clock that read 1:30 in the morning.

_I have to conquer my fears! I KNOW that Officer Hobble and Wade are working together on the evidence that can spring her from the slammer! But I can't keep on having these nightmares about what would happen to Tara if they don't analyze the evidence correctly!_

_Also, I have a Game 5 to cheer on for the Mad Dogs! If we don't stop South Panola right here, we're doomed!!_

Kim took a deep breath and calmed down. She was burying the fact of Tara's sitch so that all she could think of was Game 5. Then, she returned to sleep.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 7:00am, Monday

The crimefighting cheerleader's green eyes suddenly came to life on a cold and dreary Monday morning. The rain was continuing to pelt outside. It reflected upon the misery that has endured upon Mad Dog Nation over the last three days since the Game 4 debacle.

It was finally the morning of Game 5, a do-or-die game for the Mad Dogs.

"Good morning, family!" Kim gleefully smiled to the rest of the Possible household in her PJs. Her red hair was dancing all around like a neverending ritual.

"Morning, Kimmie-cub!" James smiled to his daughter as Ann prepared a huge and bountiful breakfast of her blueberry pancakes with syrup, plus sausages, grits, oatmeal, bacon, and eggs.

She knew that the Possible family was going to have to get all the hot food they needed in their system because she read the weather for the kickoff of tonight's game: 37 degrees with a cold rain and grey clouds as far as the eye can see.

Jim and Tim then came to the table in their usual number 87 and 81 jerseys and the family enjoyed their breakfast without any of the Tweebs' interruptions for James grounded the two the last time they used jet packs at the kitchen table.

______________________________________________________________________________

Kim prepared for her first day back to school since Thanksgiving break. She dressed up in the regular purple uniform, captain patch and all, and got her Middleton Cheerleader Coat on in order to defend herself from the horrible weather outside.

She packed her bookbag and, along with her brothers, waved goodbye to her parents. She hoped that whatever the Mad Dogs practiced on Saturday would work tonight against the Tigers.

Kim then revved up her car and, after shuddering at the mere sight of what the Tweebs would do to her, prepared to go to school for the first time in a week. However, the first thing that she did was to stop by Ron's house.

Ron, meanwhile, waited outside the front door. He was wearing his usual khaki pants with the home purple number 7 football jersey underneath his football jacket. Kim's car pulled up in the driveway.

"Good morning, KP, my ever-loving girlfriend!!!" Ron happily greeted Kim as he opened the passenger side of her car.

"Morning, Ron, my cutie boyfriend!!" Kim blushed as both of them rubbed the tips of their noses and kissed each other on the cheek. The Tweebs opened their mouths in a gagging motion, expessing their displeasue at the couple's affection for each other.

As the four pupils made their way to school, both Kim and Ron wondered if they would share a romantic moment at the very end of Game 5 in the rain in the same manner that they did in Game 3.

Then, as Kim pulled up into the student parking lot, she wagged her finger at the Tweebs in the backseat.

"Now, Tweebs! I don't want you trying anything silly such as opening portals to other dimensions or blowing up chemicals in the lab, OK? We don't want HAZMAT to come into the school," Then she turned a cold stare at her brothers and growled at them, "like they did LAST TIME!!!"

"We won't," both Jim and Tim answered unaminously in a submissive voice. They didn't want to see their sister in a sour mood, especially with the issue with Tara and cheering for Game 5 of the series.

All four exited the vehicle and continued to make their way to Middleton High against the cold drizzle that stained the dying school lawns.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 12:00pm, Monday

Place: Middleton High School Cafeteria

Kim and Ron sat next to each other for the first time as boyfriend and girlfriend at the lunch table amidst the chatter in the cafeteria. They were about to enjoy their first bite of lunch when a rustle of paper interrupted their peace.

The two turned their heads to look behind them. It was Josh and he was putting up posters for a dance that Satuday: the Winter Formal.

They both gasped in awe at the marvelous display of the medium-sized poster.

A loving couple was holding their arms around each other around a dazzling and sparkling disco ball. The marvelous detailk of the purple and gold dress on the girl and black tuxedo were marvelously hand-drawn by Josh himself.

Kim and Ron envisioned themselves as that very couple, dancing so gracefully and romantically though the night. They can just simply imagine the romance and love filling up the air. And in the climax of their dream together, they were about to kiss each other, right in the middle of the gym floor.

Then.... the lunch bell cut off that moment, just centimeters away from their imaginary kiss in the middle of the dance floor.

As they left the cafeteria, both Kim and Ron knew that pain had to come before pleasure.


	101. The Good News is Proclaimed

Time: 2:40pm, Monday

Place: Middleton High Gym

As Kim prepared to enter the gym, she knew that the pep rally was coming up and Game 5 was to follow after that. Also, she awaited any good news from either Wade or Officer Hobble on the prison sitch with Tara. She hoped that all the hard work that they did over the last 24 hours will prove her innocence once and for all.

She did not want to see Tara's future obituary in the morning paper.

______________________________________________________________________________

Camille, meanwhile, gave her sly smirk as Kim and Bonnie entered the gym. She was sitting, alone, on the bleachers. She was taking a break from setting up the signs for the pep rally.

_Hah, once Caitlin has been taken care of, you two will become my most important targets and I shall dispose of you with my powers!! You will learn the hard way never to mess around with Camille Leon!!!!_

She stood up with her golden pom-poms as the evil smile still wore across her face.

______________________________________________________________________________

In the dressing room, Kim was unpacking her golden pom-poms when, all of a sudden, Bonnie came rushing in. She was screeching in excitement.

"K!!!" Bonnie exclaimed through the door, talking on her cell phone. Kim can tell that her friend must've been escatic about something. "Guess what happened, just now!!!!" She gave Kim her cell phone and left as if she hadn't came at all.

Kim picked up Bonnie's phone. And on the other line was none other than the familiar Brogue accent of Officer Hobble.

_K: Hey, Officer! What's the sitch and why is B so excited right now?_

H: I have good news, Kim! Wade and I have analyzed the evidence over the last 24 hours and it has come to the conclusion that....

He paused for a moment. Kim anticipated her friend's fate.

_H: Tara was NOT involved in the robbery!! The strands of straight blonde hair absolutely did not match to Tara. And Tara could not have injected herself with all those chemicals in her body! It would've instantly killed her!! Also, your mother's pendant was not found on her person. _

_And just five minutes ago, in light of this new evidence and careful analysis, I called your parents and they decided to drop all the robbery charges against Tara! We'll find the real culprit soon enough!!_

_Tara will be released from Juvie Hall tonight, Kim. She'll be a free woman!_

_K: Ohhhh!!! Thank you!! Thank you, Officer!!_

Without knowing it, Officer Hobble and Wade have saved Tara's life.

_H: Anyways, the crime lab is still trying to figure out where these chemicals came from. Like Wade said, some of them do not even exist in our government databases. But other than that, Tara is free to go!!_

K: Thank you so much, Officer Hobble!! Can you remind me when y'all figure out the composition of the chemicals?

H: Sure can, Kim! Hobble out!

Kim immediately hung up and jumped for joy.

_Yes!! Tara's now free from this hellhole! Now, all me and Bonnie have to do is to figure out who really did this. _

She rushed out of the dressing room where Bonnie was sitting on a bench nearby. She was grinning from ear to ear over this good news.

Kim came rushing up to Bonnie and both hugged each other and jumped up and down in jubilant triumph,

"Yes!!!!!" Bonnie exclaimed the fact that Tara can finally free herself from Veruca's murderous clutches.

"We finally freed Tara!!" Kim agreed with her as they continued to celebrate for a brief moment, then returned to the gym.

Little did they know that another cheerleader would be in the crosshairs of a diabolical plan.


	102. Rallying Cry

Time: 3:30pm, Monday

Place: Middleton Gym

The cars continued to fill the school parking lot. The 1700 souls braved fierce cold winds, cloudy skies, temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, and a steady frigid rain to attend one of the most important pep rallies ever: the Senior Rally in which all the senior Mad Dog football players, cheerleaders, and band members would be honored in their final home game of their time at Middleton High. It turned out to be Game 5 of the MHSAA Football Series with the count tied at two games apiece.

Parents began to crowd in the bleachers. Some of them were even carrying hankies and boxes of Kleenex. They shed their tears as they took their seats.

After a misreable time in Game 4, Mad Dog Nation was more than ready to take down South Panola.

______________________________________________________________________________

The gym was decorated with senior banners everywhere, honoring the individual players and cheerleaders. Even a few of the faculty members were holding a large banner containing all the names of the senior players.

______________________________________________________________________________  
Below the gym, all the Mad Dog cheerleaders were in the dressing room as they prepared to cheer for the last home game.

It was especially heart-rending for the senior Mad Dog cheerleaders as well, especially Sharpay Evans and Bebe Stevens.

Sharpay was weeping in front of the mirror. She knew that this was the last time she can cheer for her beloved Mad Dogs at Middleton High Stadium. She knew that it was the last time she can cheer with the close web of friends that she made, especially Kim, Bonnie, Bebe, Jessica, and Liz.

Bebe sighed as she stared around the cheerleading dressing room that she had been a part of for the last four years of her life, looking back on the good times and the bad.

Camille was the only senior cheerleader who didn't either wear a frown or welled out tears. She kept up her evil smirk as she prepared to initiate the next phase of her evil scheme --- to frame and imprison Caitlin Cooke.

_If I want to strike silently against Caitlin at Club Banana, I absolutely have to maintain my happy cheerleader composure so that neither Kim nor her cronies notice my plans!! Soon, once Caitlin is put away behind bars, Kim and Bonnie will soon join them! Oooohhh!!! I can't wait!! Perhaps they may be put in the same chain gang together!! And I'll take a photo of them!! It's going to be PRICELESS!!! Hee-hee!!!!_

________________________________________________________________________________

Since it was the senior pep rally, the cheerleaders were all dressed in t-shirts that had the senior Mad Dog players' name and number over their cheering tops.

When the cheerleaders heard the music from the marching band thundering above, they knew it was their time to shine.

Libby put the finishing touches of her Mad Dog Mascot when Kim came to the door.

She calmly announced to everyone: "OK, girls, let's get out there and LET"S PUMP UP THIS CROWD!!!"

All of the girls, including Camille, gave a loud cheer and headed out the door to the entrance where the fans were awaiting their beloved Mad Dogs.

Then, behind them, were the shouts of the Mad Dog football players. According to tradition, the senior players usually took the front. Some of them were wearing their Mad Dog varsity jackets.

Sharpay spotted her boyfriend, Eugene Thompson, in crutches as he was still nursing that leg. In his memory, she sported the t-shirt with his number 37 on it.

Kim, Bonnie, Liz, and Jessica held the banner appropriately titled "Let's Go, Seniors!!!!"

______________________________________________________________________________

As the band began to play, the senior cheerleaders and players walked out onto the court first.

All of them busted through the banner slowly as they approached the middle of the gym floor as they were greeted with applause, whistles, airhorn sounds, and shouts of "Go Mad Dogs!!!"

Then the rest of the Mad Dog football team and cheerleaders followed behind them as the Middleton High fight song echoed throughout the gym.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Mr. Berry announced the award to Ron for his 96 yards on the ground, one of the few bright spots for the Mad Dogs in Game 4.

The cheerleaders then did their usual routines of tumbles and handstands.

_Who we are, MAD DOGS!!!!!_

Who we are, MAD DOGS!!!!!

We are the Mad Dogs and we will fight!!

Let's go Mad Dogs, beat the Tigers tonight!!!

As usual, Kim and Bonnie gained the most attention for their performance.

______________________________________________________________________________

Then, the lights to the gym dimmed and a video made by the Middleton High Booster Club was suddenly projected on a screen. In it, it displayed various random shots of the Mad Dogs throughout the football season and a few shots of the cheerleaders as well.

After 10 minutes of those random shots, the shots of the senior football players were displayed: first as infants and then as the strong, determined young men as they are now.

The baby pictures and the "now" pictures of the 22 senior Mad Dog football players were in order, according to jersey number:

3 Lee Jordan CB

5 Vince Lasalle CB

8 Token Black SS

11 Stacey Logan WR

13 Ladario Weathers RB

20 Brian Williams FB

22 Chalkey Studebaker LB

30 Oliver Wood TE

31 Jamie Davis CB

37 Eugene Thompson LB

48 TJ Detwiler LB

51 Doug Funnie DE

60 Devon Goldham C

61 Ray Hughes G

64 Ben Ulrand G

65 Marcus Belby T

67 Greg Goldberg DE

70 Harold Berman T

75 Mikey Blumberg DT

79 Skeeter Valentine T

97 Ralph Wiggum DT

99 Ladarius Jones DT

Then the slideshow came to the senior Mad Dog cheerleaders: Sandi Griffin, Sharpay Evans, Lisa Silver, Bebe Stevens, Carmelita Spats, and finally, Camille Leon. Veruca's picture wasn't shown because she was incarcerated for her DUI.

At the sight of Camille's picture, Kim gave a low growling sound to express her displeasure of Camille, still not knowing that the deb has done more damage to her life than she could anticipate.

Even Camille was touched by the photo of herself at the age of five playing with Debutante as a kitty. _Aww, look at me with Debutante! I'm sooooo cuuuuuttteee!!!!!!! _She didn't expect to grow up to become a master criminal of disguise and that no one even noticed that aspect._  
_  
When the video came to its conclusion, everyone in the gym applauded the excellent work that the booster club did in terms of directing and editing.

______________________________________________________________________________

Then, the other aspect of the Senior Pep Rally began: the distribution of the Mad Dog plaques from the cheerleaders to the senior players. One by one, all 20 cheerleaders gave the football players bronze plaques of all their hard accomplishments.

And the best senior players of the team Ben, Oliver, TJ, Stacey, Devon, and Eugene, still in crutches, gave roses to all of the senior cheerleaders.

In both instances, the two that drew the biggest applause, including from Kim and Bonnie, were Eugene and Sharpay.

The two seniors kissed each other affectionally, despite the fact that the former football captain was sidelined with a broken leg for the next six months.

Ron, upon seeing the love and affection of his injured teammate for his girlfriend, imagined himself with Kim kissing him on the gym floor on their senior pep rally. The only thing that interrupted his daydreaming was the lights turning back on.

______________________________________________________________________________

The rally, as usual, concluded with the band playing "Superstar". When the pep rally drew to a close, Mad Dog fans and students alike headed for the exits. From the comfort and warmth of the gym, they were greeted back with the cold and bitter 40-degree air with drizzle falling on their jackets and umbrellas.

Some of the fans glimpsed at the two charter buses that South Panola arrived in.

Kim, Bonnie, Sharpay, Caitlin, and Bebe exited the gym from the back to spot the two buses parked at the fieldhouse.

"This is it, girls!" Kim exclaimed on why Game 5 is pivotal to this series and why the Mad Dogs HAD to win. "There's no turning back!"


	103. PreGame 5

Time: 5:40pm, Monday

Place: Middleton Mad Dog Locker Room

Coach Barkin instructed to his players the pre-game speech:

"Remember everything that you learned out there on that cold Saturday! Forget about what had happened in Game 4! The old version of the Mad Dogs are dead and DONE!!! A new Mad Dogs team has risen above the ashes!! We are now more united than ever before!! Altogether as a team, we CAN and we WILL kick the Tigers' ASSES back to Batesville!! If we stay together as a team, we will prove to South Panola that we can win over them!!!! Not even MOTHER NATURE is going to stop us!!!! Now, WHO'S WITH ME?!?!?!?

All of the Mad Dog players gave very loud cheers and shouts of "I AM!!!!"

Then, turning to his star tailback, the very hope that the Mad Dogs have of winning the series, the head coach nodded his head.

"Stoppable! You know what to do!" Barkin called out to Ron.

Ron brought in the players for a team huddle. Deep down in his heart, he knew that the Mad Dogs can win but they must not fall for overconfidence, whatsoever. The Mad Dogs had to learn the hard way in Game 4.

He then yelled to install the hope that they need in order to, hopefully, stop this juggernaut running game.

"We HAVE to hold them here!! If we don't, we will be the laughingstock of the town!! We need to win with heart and determination, but at the same time, we mustn't be overconfident!"

The players in the huddle nodded their heads as they started to do the Mad Dog Chant. After that much-needed pep talk, the Mad Dogs exited the locker room, well aware of the fact that Mother Nature is going to throw the cold wind into this wintery mix.

______________________________________________________________________________

Place: Middleton Fieldhouse.

In the South Panola locker room, Coach Woods also gave his pre-game speech as well:

"We have come here to Middleton High in Game 5 to take the lead in the series! Now even though Mother Nature is not going to be kind to us, we have been through this weather multiple times before, right??"

The Tiger players nodded their heads in agreement. They knew how cold it tended to get at Batesville.

"And we are going to take this game by storm! We came here for one purpose and one only ..... to win!!!!"

All 79 players yelled with confident smiles streaming across their faces as Von Sanford led them in a team prayer before they headed out to their opponents' stadium.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 6:10pm, Monday

Place: Middleton High Stadium

The cold 37-degree air swarmed around the stadium. The Mad Dog fans entered en masse in their winter trenchcoats and blankets, anything to keep themselves warm on this early-December night.

John, who left on Sunday to go back to Clinton, arrived at the stadium with his usual papers. He went up the elevator to the pressbox. He was ready to take down stats alongside Felix.

The appealing hot smell of Nacoes, courtesy of Bueno Nacho, and hot cocoa flown in from Sweden, along with the usual assortment of hamburgers, hot dogs, and popcorn were welcomed by the home crowd. The concession stands attracted them in droves like bees in a hive for their queen. The tailgaters also drew in huge crowds as well, home and visiting alike, with fried chicken

The stadium's high-voltage flourescent lightbulbs reflected upon the falling drizzle drops as they landed upon the already-muddy football turf of Middleton High Stadium.

The Middleton banners continued to flutter in the 15 mile per hour winds as Kim and the other cheerleaders helped set them up. The same was true on the South Panola side as well.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders wore those cheerleading jackets to maintain their warmth.

As the pre-game warmups continued, Kim stared out into the open field. She spotted her boyfriend doing his assortment of stretches on the Mad Dog side of the field. Then she stared at the team of the opposite side of the field: South Panola, the very same team that racked a school-record 632 yards on the ground in Game 4. She knew that the Mad Dogs, especially the defense, had to be very careful when dealing with a team that can put up that many yards against them.

The other concern on her mind focused that on the release of Tara from Juvenille Hall and the fact that the charges had been dropped by her parents. Kim was worried because of one question: How will the squad welcome her back, now that she was spared the pain of staying there with the dreaded Veruca until the age of 21, or in the worse-case sitch, until her untimely death by the hands of that monster? The heroic cheerleader pondered this question in her mind as the drizzle continued to sprinkle on her red hair.

The wind and drizzle was penetrating Sharpay's curly blonde hair as she looked around the stadium.

"This is it! This is the last time that we can cheer on our field!" Sharpay sighed as she turned to her fellow seniors, "So many good memories were made for us on this field. Now, these are our final moments cheering for our Mad Dogs!! I feel so ....... so ....." She choked on a few tears and cried into the arms of Bebe before uttering the word, "happy!!"

The two teams then retreated to their locker rooms for the next 20 minutes.

______________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Mad Dog cheerleader's row, Camille, still under the assumption that Tara would stand trial for her role in the Possibles' rivalry, smiled evily at Caitlin.

'Once you're detained and singing the blues from your little jail cell with Tara as your cellmate, Kim and Bonnie will be next to fall to my powers! It would be a perfect picture of you: all four former cheerleaders in black-and-white outfits in a chain gang!!' she thought to herself.

______________________________________________________________________________

Both sides of the stands were filling up very rapidly. The Tiger fans, used to this weather, bundled up in the visiting bleachers.

The Middleton High marching band and Mad Dog Steppers made their way onto the left side of the stadium around 15 minutes before kickoff.

Mr. Berry greeted the growing Mad Dog crowds:

"Welcome to Game 5 of the MHSAA Football Series at Middleton High Stadium between your Middleton Mad Dogs and the visiting South Panola Tigers. The series is tied at two games apiece. Last time these two teams met was last Friday Night where South Panola won Game 4 by the final of 48-15. On Wednesday night, your Mad Dogs will travel back to Batesville to play Game 6 against the Tigers. And as always ...... GOOOOOOO MADDDDD DOGSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The chilly Mad Dog crowd that sat on the drizzle-soaked metal bleachers followed suit

Again, he repeated the procedure of good sportsmanship present in all of the MHSAA events and listed the starters for tonight's game.

Ten minutes before kickoff, both the Mad Dogs from the gym and the Tigers from the fieldhouse gathered on opposite sites of the football field.

Sharpay's spirits were pretty low when she spotted the large Middleton Flag with the school's logo on it. She knew that it was the last time for her to carry that flag across Middleton High's field on Friday nights.

As Sharpay prepared to pick up the flag, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

It belonged to that of Kim.

"Sharpay, I believe that we can we this game! We just have to trust in each other, the entire squad, the team and the student body!" Kim said as she gave that famous cheerful smile that would brighten anyone's day.

In this time of need, Sharpay felt like that her spirits have been raised. "Thanks, Kim! And like you said --- Anything is possible ...."

"For a Possible!!!!!" Kim finished her sentence. "Now let's go out there and show the Tigers what Mad Dog football is all about!!!!"

Sharpay nodded her head as she carried the flag to the front of the Mad Dog balloon.

After the invocation and the playing of the National Anthem, it was finally time for some football. Once again, the game, like so many others in Mad Dog football, was a complete sellout. There were hardly any empty seats left in the stadium.

"And here come the Tigers of South Panola." Mr. Berry unenthusiastically announced as the Tigers came charging onto the field, always led by Von Sanford, into their team box. The Tiger fans cheered on their players in hopes of taking the lead in the series.

Then, Mr. Berry's head turned to the other side of the field, where the Mad Dogs were waiting underneath that Mad Dog inflatable head. Anticipation ran high among the players and cheerleaders.

"AND HEEEERREEEE COME YOUR MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!" the PA echoed his mic so loud that it blared throughout the stadium. Sharpay had the dubious honor of carrying that large Middleton Flag across the field followed by Kim carrying the smaller banner. Bonnie, Jessica, and Liz carried the M, H, and S, flags behind them.

All 87 Mad Dog players made their way out of the ballon as they charged onto the field and to their team box. The fight song echoed its way across the night sky.

The team captains came in for the coin toss. Darius and Ron both shook their hands.

Middleton won the toss and deferred to the second half. Ron pointed to the direction of the school to point out which goal the Mad Dogs would defend against a South Panola rushing attack that seemed to have no limits.

Kim cheered on her boyfriend as he returned to the team box, for the moment. Both kickoff units came onto the field, the wind and cold drizzle penetrating their jerseys.

Charlie Bucket, the Mad Dog kicker, signaled that he was ready to kick off. The ball which laid on the 40 prepared its journey right into the hands of one of the most feared all-purpose quarterbacks that the Mad Dogs have ever witnessed: Deangelo Young.

All twelve thousand shivering pairs of eyes watched as Charlie kicked the ball off from its resting place.

Game 5 was underway.


	104. Game 5 Quarter 1: Mudbath

The kick landed in the hands of Deangelo from the Tiger 3 to the Tiger 21 for an 18-yard return. Oliver Oken brought him down in the mud and the Tigers began their first drive

--SP ball--

The Tigers came into the huddle with the usual I-option formation. The Mad Dogs prepared a special surprise as they appeared in their 4-4 defense with Tracey Sketchit as the extra linebacker. Coach Barkin hoped and prayed that they don't give up over 600 yards on the ground

On first and 10 from the Tiger 21, Deangelo gave his first handoff of the night to Darius Griffin, the feared five-star tailback, up the middle. He picked up a gain of 5 yards before Tracey took him down at the 26.

On 2nd and 5, Evan Nordan, the Tigers' starting fullback/linebacker, then tried a counter play to the left side of the Mad Dog field, hoping to pick up huge chunks of yards. Instead, Butters Stotch put him down to the muddy field to the Tiger 24 for a loss of 2 yards.

Desperate for anything on third and 7 with 10:41 left in the first quarter, Coach Woods turned to his quarterback, Deangelo, to make anything happen. He called in the dreaded "16 Right Option", the very same play that netted the Tigers a 64-yard touchdown run in Game 2 and a 71-yard touchdown run in Game 4.

Kim prayed that the Mad Dog defense would hold them to a three and out.

The ball was snapped with 10 seconds on the play-clock. Deangelo carried it to himself from the right but, thankfully for the Mad Dogs, he was instantly met by Chalkey Studebaker and was dragged down after gaining only 1 yard to the Tiger 25.

"Let's go, Mad Dogs!!! Let's yell and shout!!!  
That the Tigers will go three-and-out!!!" echoed the Mad Dog cheerleaders

So, on 4th and 6, the Tigers had to go 3-and-out. Both teams brought in their punting and punt return units. Ash Ketchum, the fullback/punter, came out. He was ready to pin the Mad Dogs deep into their own territory. As Ron came out to return the punt, Kim cheered him on.

"Let's go, Unstoppable!!!!" the cheer captain exclaimed as the ball was snapped.

The ball traveled through the cold air and landed into the arms of Ron at the Mad Dog 36. The tailback and captain of the team took it to the Mad Dog 42 where he was put to the muddy turf by Chazz Princeton. It was a 39-yard punt by Ash and a 6-yard return by number 7.

--MID ball--

The crowd cheered for their beloved Mad Dogs as the offense, led by Stan Marsh and Ron, took to the field with 10:18 left. Ron was the only running-back in the backfield because there was an extra tight end: Weevil Underwood. At the sight of the red-haired cheerleader, her boyfriend, in return, felt all warm in the midst of all this cold weather.

On first and 10 from the 42, Ron took the handoff from Stan up the middle, but was met by a swarm of white Tiger jerseys. He was brought back to the line of scrimmage for no gain by Roger Klotz.

Ron tried again on second down and was able to puncture the left side for a gain of 5 yards as Marvin Young and Bart Simpson combined on the stop at the Mad Dog 47 yard line.

Facing a 3rd and 5 with 8:49 left in the quarter, Coach Barkin recalled out Weevil and put Milo Kamalani in as a third wide receiver. The Tigers defensive coaches, sensing this, pulled in their nickel defense. As the clock drained to just eight seconds, Stan snapped the ball from Devon Goldham, the center. He tried to find an open receiver. Instead, all he found was a white Tiger jersey coming towards him. It was Damon West, the all-star linebacker. Damon came from behind and sacked him at the Mad Dog 40 for a 7-yard loss. Stan was dazed from the mudbath that he received after the sack, but was able to stand up.

Kim, along with Mad Dog Nation, groaned at the sight of the offense returning to the bench after their first drive. 'Come on, Mad Dogs, we can do this!'

Coach Barkin sighed in bitter disappointment as he sent in his punting unit with David Childers. The always dangerous sight of Deangelo Young was more than ready to return the punt with 8:21 remaining.

David punted from the Mad Dog 40 with 11 on the play clock. Deangelo caught sight of the oncoming Mad Dog players and distanced himself from the ball. The Mad Dogs downed it at the Tiger 17 for a 43-yard punt with 8:10 remaining.

--SP ball--

The Tiger offense came back onto the field, still thinking that their first drive was a fluke. This time, they brought in TJ Avery as the tailback for Darius. TJ lined up behind Evan.

The Mad Dogs kept their 4-4 defense on the field.

On first down from the 17, Deangelo kept the ball for himself on the option against the mud. He was brought down by Chalkey and TJ Detwiler but was able to pick up 4 yards to the Tiger 21.

Second and 6 saw TJ get his first carry. The Mad Dog fandom knew that this Tiger back was dangerous because he broke through for a 98-yard touchdown run in Game 4. However, TJ was instantly dragged behind the line by Doug Funnie for a loss of 3 yards to the Tiger 14. Doug could hear a similar applause from his girlfriend, Patti Mayonnaise, from the Mad Dog crowd.

Deangelo tried his first pass on 3rd and 9 into the intended direction of Karl Branting with 6:59 remaining. The senior wide receiver thought he had the ball but another number 7 was there to deflect the ball and land it on the turf for an incomplete pass. It was Ron Stoppable making a statement that the Mad Dogs were not going to be pushed around this time.

Ash and the Tigers' punting unit then made their appearance. Ron distanced himself, ready to return the punt. The ball kicked off from Ash's leg and made its sojurn to the hands of Ron at the Mad Dog 49. Ron pedaled forward and advanced 8 yards to the Tiger 43 where he was met by Viktor Krum, the backup Tiger tight-end.

--MID ball--

Now that the Mad Dogs had the football with 6:47 remaining and that they were in South Panola territory for the first time tonight, they felt like that they could score at any moment with the most powerful weapon they have: "Unstoppable" Stoppable. He lined up behind Troy Bolton, the Mad Dog fullback.

On first and 10 from South Panola's 43-yard line, Ron got his next carry from Stan. This time, it was a counter. He swerved to the left side of the Tigers' defense before picking up 6 yards to the Tiger 37. Bart Simpson gained credit on the stop.

Ron then carried next on 2nd and 4. He got the handoff and bulled his way up the middle. He was unable to get to the line of scrimmage and lost 1 yard to the Tiger 38. Russell Northrop, the Tigers' defensive end, gave Ron the necessary mudbath.

As third and 5 came along with 5:59 on the game clock, Stan dropped back and prepared to pass. He felt that the pocket protecting him was fading away, feeling the pressure from Jarred Wilkes. Stan threw it away in a hurry, hoping that a Mad Dog receiver would be able to catch the pass. Unfortunately, he didn't count in the fact that Jermaine Carr came in first. Jermaine caught the pass as an interception at the Tiger 19 and immediately killed off a possible Mad Dog scoring drive. Jermaine broke away from one tackle before being taken down at the South Panola 32.

The Mad Dog fans groaned as their reaction to this turnover. Kim joined in as well.

--SP ball--

The Tigers' offense went back into the game. The Tiger fans, still stunned that their team has been stalled twice in the first quarter, were now confident that their team can get something going.

On first and 10 from the South Panola 32, Evan got the fullback handoff from Deangelo and picked up 5 yards to the 37 before Jimmie Hopkins halted any further advance.

Deangelo kept the ball himself on 2nd and 5 and went to the vulnerable right side of the Mad Dog defense. He moved the chains for the Tigers for the first time and picked up a few more yards to the Mad Dog 49. Ron, having been burned by long runs before, took his all-purpose nemesis down. The all-star Tiger rushing quarterback picked up 14 yards on the play.

With 4:58 left in the quarter, Deangelo then handed the ball off to Darius on the next play. The lightly mud-battered jersey of number 14 for the Tigers went up the middle to the Mad Dog 43 for a gain of 6 yards before TJ came up with the stop for the Mad Dogs.

Deangelo dropped back to pass on 2nd and 4 as he saw the 4:40 ticking on the stadium scoreboard. Intending the pass to go to his senior wideout, Willie Wiggins, he launched the ball as the muddied white jerseys that served as his pocket collapsed around him. Instead, it landed into the waiting arms of a Mad Dog defender: the senior cornerback, Vince Lasalle. Vince caught the pick at the Mad Dog 23 and was instantly brought down by Willie.

The Mad Dogs have life back in the crowd for the first time since Game 3.

--MID ball--

The crowd roared its approval as its 11 heroes on offense returned to the field on the Mad Dog 23 with 4:31 left in the period. Kim led the way in terms of bringing up the noise on that cold track.

Ron came back into the huddle as the first play of the drive was being called.

He lined up behind Stan and Troy in the usual I-formation. The Tigers displayed their usual 4-4 defense.

On the first play after Vince's pick, Troy went up the middle on his first carry of the ballgame. He was instantly stuffed by Grover Dill for no gain.

Stan went back to pass on the next play, hoping that the third time that he passed tonight would be a charm. Luckily for him, he found Troy in the open. Troy caught the ball and managed to gain 6 yards to the Mad Dog 29 before Jermaine took him down.

It was an important 3rd and 4 conversion for the Mad Dogs as Coach Barkin called in his first timeout of the game with 3:39 left. Coach Barkin called in "7 Left Draw" in which the Mad Dogs appear to pass but actually, they would run with Ron up the middle instead. Barkin sent Milo back into the game for Troy. Now that the Mad Dogs were in the shotgun formation, the Tigers were thinking pass by bringing in their nickel defense.

As the ball was snapped with six seconds left, Stan appeared to pass then gave the ball off to Ron on a draw play. He went to his left and caught the Tigers' defense completely off-guard. He went past the marker and slashed his way for a gain of 11 yards to the Mad Dog 40. Tristian Gray, the backup cornerback, stopped Ron from doing any further damage to them.

Kim cheered her boyfriend on as she waved her pom-poms as if she signaled a first down.

After the Mad Dogs moved the chains for the first time tonight, Troy went back into the huddle. Ron, on the next play, took the handoff on the right side. He picked up excellent blocks from Ben and Ray and gashed his way into enemy territory. He picked up 17 more yards to the South Panola 43 yard-line before TJ Avery halted his advance.

The red hair of his girlfriend continued to dance into the cold winds. Ron then noticed that he was getting exhausted from being involved in all except for two plays. Barkin saw his star player continuing to breathe heavily. He turned to the thunder in his two-punch running attack, Ladario Weathers, to replace him. The senior tailback nodded his head and the clean jersey of number 13 came in for the battered jersey of number 7 with 2:48 remaining on the game clock in a scoreless match.

On his very first carry, Ladario continued where Ron left off: slashing an unexpected Tigers' defense with large gains. He went up the middle and cleared through South Panola's first and second line of defense. The crowd sensed something big. Sensing that two of the Tiger players, Bart Simpson and Marvin Young, were closing in on him, Ladario went out of bounds at the Tiger 23 with 2:31 showing on the clock.

Ladario carried again on the next play and picked up 6 yards up the middle to the 17 before Evan made the stop.

Troy carried next on the fullback handoff on 2nd and 4 and managed to gain 1 yard to the Tiger 16 before Russell stopped him there.

On third and three, Stan decided, in a rare move, to keep the ball himself in the I-option formation, even though he wan't as fast and elusive as Deangelo. One minute and 29 seconds remained on the clock and 3 ticks remained on the play clock. The Mad Dog field general went to his right and gained 5 yards. Bart gained credit on the stop for South Panola. The chain gang moved its way to the Tiger 12.

After Stan's run that moved the stocks, Ladario got the handoff again. He picked up 4 more yards on the left side to the 8-yard line before Damon took him down hard on the muddy turf.

The clock now read around 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Coach Barkin, still starting at the 0-0 as the score, then found an opportunity to take an early lead against the Tigers. He called in "1 Short Right", a pass play. Stan understood from the sidelines that Barkin wanted a pass play intended for Carver Descartes.

With 47 seconds remaining, the ball snapped from Devon's hands to Stan. The junior quarterback prayed that the offensive line would hold their own against the fast-paced Tiger defense. It held long enough for Stan to release the ball into the air. All Mad Dog fans on the home side watched the ball, hoping that it lands into the arms of a Mad Dog wideout and not a Tiger defensive back. Ron, from the sidelines, covered his eyes, for he couldn't bear to watch what would happen.

Carver caught the ball into the end zone and the next thing that the star tailback heard was the explosion of cheers from end to end across the home side.

He knew that meant only one thing.

"TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Mr. Berry yelled excitedly in his microphone.

Stan Marsh threw an eight-yard scoring toss to Carver Descartes with 38 seconds remaining in the first.

Kim and Bonnie led the cheering crowd in a chant:

"Let's go Mad Dogs!!!!!!

Let's bring SP down!!!!!

The Mad Dogs scored a touchdown!!!!!"

And at that instant, Sharpay proudly carried the large Middleton flag across the track while Bebe carried the smaller Mad Dog flag right behind her.

Airhorns blared loudly throughout the home side.

Charlie Bucket then capped off this perfect drive by adding in the PAT. With 38 seconds left in the first, the score was now: Middleton 7, South Panola 0.

--SP ball--

After the cheers subsided, the Mad Dogs and Tigers both sent in their kickoff units. Deangelo and Karl were ready to return. Charlie kicked it deep to the Tigers 2 where Deangelo awaited the kick. The Tigers' field general carried it downwards to the Tigers 24, a 22-yard return, before Kyle Broflovski stopped him in his tracks with 27 seconds remaining.

On first and 10 from the Tigers 24, Darius then carried the ball up the middle for South Panola on the final play of the first quarter. He picked up 6 yards to the 30 before Chalkey brought him down.

As the seconds melted away from the first quarter, Kim stopped cheering momentarily to look at the conditions of the jerseys of her beloved Mad Dogs. The starters' jerseys, including her Ron's, were stained from all the mud that the turf presented. She then realized that they were gonna go through this same routine for the next three quarters of the game.

The score at the end of the first quarter of Game 5 is: the Middleton Mad Dogs 7, the South Panola Tigers 0.


	105. Game 5 Quarter 2: Deadlock

As the second quarter began, the Tigers were on their own 30 on a 2nd and 4 situation.

On that play, Darius got the next handoff from Deangelo to start off the quarter. He went up the middle and tore through the Mad Dog defense. He managed to pick up 13 yards before Vince stopped him at the Tiger 43.

Coach Barkin then decided to changed up his defense from the 4-4 to the 5-2. So, he sent in Ladarius Jones and Lee Jordan for Chalkey and Tracey.

So, on first down, Evan picked up the fullback handoff from Deangelo and moved to the left side but was immediately stuffed by Ladarius and Doug behind the line for a loss of 2 yards to the Tigers 38.

Deangelo kept the ball for himself on the 2nd and 12 play. He went to the right and picked up 6 more yards as TJ and Butters stopped him at the 44-yard line.

With 10:43 left in the half, Deangelo tried to find an open receiver in Karl on the left sideline. But, once again, Ron tipped the ball harmlessly to the ground for an incomplete pass. Kim continued to cheer him and her beloved Mad Dogs as the Tigers had to punt for the third time in the game.

Both teams sent in the punt units as Ron stood back, ready to return it deep. Ash punted to the Middleton 24 yardline. Sensing that the Tigers were closing in on him, Ron moved away from the ball where the Tigers downed the ball there.

--MID ball--

The score was still 7-0 in favor of the Mad Dogs with 10:26 remaing. As the offense took to the field, Ron returned to the Mad Dog huddle with encouragement from his cheerleading girlfriend on the sidelines.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 24, Ron got his next carry up the middle from Stan but was instantly met on the line of scrimmage by Bart for no gain.

Troy got the fullback handoff with 9:31 remaining. He found an open hole in the left side and fought his way near the first down marker and picked his way for a 9-yard gain before Deangelo and Marvin, the Young brothers, took him down at the Mad Dog 33.

Ron tried to pick up the first down on the right side on 3rd and 1, but Russell stuffed the play before it can even develop. Number 7 lost 3 yards to the 30-yardline. The Mad Dogs had to punt for the second time in the game.

David returned back into the game to punt with 9:04 left. He punted the ball deep into Tiger territory at the South Panola 25 for a 45 yard punt. Deangelo returned 4 yards to the 29 as Troy stopped him there.

--SP ball--

TJ came back into the game as the tailback and Ash checked in as the new fullback for the Tigers as 8:50 flashed on the game clock. The Mad Dogs showed their 4-4 defense.

The drizzle still continued to fall to the turf as the officials tried their best to clean them off.

On first down, Coach Woods called in "11 Right Counter". The play clock shrunk to 2 seconds before Deangelo snapped the ball. TJ got the handoff and swerved to the right. He breezed his way through the Mad Dog defense and picked up 16 yards. Vince managed to stop him at the Tigers 45 but TJ helped the Tigers move the chains for only the third time in the game.

Deangelo then picked up another option carry and gained an additional 12 yards to the Mad Dog 43. Ron, throughly exhausted to this point, was barely able to stop the superstar quarterback.

Kim, upon seeing her boyfriend near exhaustion, was worried that the Mad Dogs would give up a huge play to the Tigers' offense. She then turned back to the crowd and, along with the other Mad Dog cheerleaders, tried to pump the fans up.

Coach Woods, sensing that the Mad Dogs were still in the 4-4 formation, decided to call in a pass play. Deangelo understood what that nod meant from his mentor.

As 7:49 showed on the game clock, Deangelo snapped the ball with 5 seconds left. The Mad Dogs were expecting the Tigers to run the football. Instead, number 16 for the Tigers decided to drop back to pass. Immediately spotting Karl in the wide-open field, he threw in his general direction up the middle. Karl caught the pass in front of "Unstoppable". Ron tried to bring down Karl, but the barely-stained white number 7 Tiger jersey won the battle as he broke free from Ron's tackle. Karl outran everyone else down to the Mad Dog end zone.

The crowd gave out a very loud sigh of defeat as the Tiger wideout crossed the goal-line with 7:40 left in the half.

The Tigers crowd roared its approval as the officials' hands went up in the air.

"Touchdown, South Panola." Mr. Berry said through the microphone. Coach Woods cheered on his starting offense while Coach Barkin chided his defense for opening up such as huge hole.

Karl Branting caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Deangelo Young.

Even I didn't see this coming, Kim thought to herself on South Panola's first score, But I do know that Ron and the football players can get through this sitch and get us back in the game.

Ted added in the extra point to tie the score. The scoreboard now read: Middleton 7, South Panola 7 with 7:40 left in the half.

--MID ball--

The kickoff teams took to the field. Ted signaled, in the mud and rain, that he was ready. Ron was back to return at the Mad Dogs goal-line. He was still tired and beaten up. Ted kicked it in his direction. Ron fielded the kick at the Mad Dog 8 and returned it to the Mad Dog 28 before Germichael Diggs made the special teams tackle. He then signaled that he should be taken to the sidelines for a drive.

So, Ladario came back into the game at tailback as the next Middleton drive began with 7:31 remaining.

On first down from the 28, Ladario tried a handoff to the left side but Evan drove him backwards to the Mad Dog 25 for a loss of 3 yards on the play.

Coach Barkin called in "11 Right Deep Post" as a pass play. Stan tried to drop back to pass, but he did not see Russell come in from his blind side. Russell broke his block against Troy and brought the quarterback down for a loss of 5 yards to the Mad Dog 20.

When Stan's pass to Carver fell incomplete, the Mad Dogs had to punt for the third time.

David punted 42 yards to the Tiger 38-yardline. The Tigers downed it right there as they began their next possession with 6:09 left in the half

Bonnie pinched the bridge of her nose. Please Mad Dogs, please move the damn football! she thought in order to express her frustrations with the offense.

--SP ball--

Darius came back in as the tailback but Ash still remained as the fullback for the Tigers behind Deangelo. The Mad Dogs switched to their base 4-3 defense.

Ash carried for the first time from Deangelo but was taken back to the line of scrimmage for no gain. Mikey Blumberg, along with the weather, took him down to the turf.

Darius then tried a crack against the Mad Dog defense up the middle and managed a gain of 6 as TJ and Chalkey stopped him at the Tiger 44.

Deangelo's pass on the right side to Willie Wiggins fell incomplete on 3rd and 4 and the Tigers' attack continued to stall out due to the weather conditions.

Ash's fourth punt traveled 28 yards to the Mad Dogs' 28 yard-line. The Tigers downed the ball right there with 4:50 remaining.

--MID ball--

All 9,000 Mad Dog fans present prayed through the cold drizzle that the Mad Dogs' next drive would be more fruitful than their last two drives.

The cheerleaders was trying to keep the crowd in the game:

"Come on, Mad Dogs!!

Let's fight, let's win!!  
Let's beat the Tigers!!!!"

The crowd let out a huge applause as Ron returned to the field.

On first down from the Mad Dog 28, Ron carried on the counter from Stan but he was instantly stuffed by Damon behind the line for a loss of 2 yards to the Mad Dog 26.

Hoping to go anywhere with the offense, Stan carried the ball himself on the option play. The Tigers were not expecting him to move around so effectively. He went through the Tiger defense for a gain of 7 yards as Marvin stopped him at the Middleton 33.

Coach Barkin, sensing that a crucial 3rd and 5 situation, called in a timeout with 3:22 left in the quarter. He gathered with his offense to discuss the next play. Kim wondered what Barkin has in store against the tough Panola defense.

Stan then lined up with five wideouts: Carver, Stacey, Ron, Milo, and Lance Jackson. The ball snapped with 6 seconds left on the play clock. Stan scanned the entire field for an open man and found Ron. Number 7 caught the ball for a gain of 8 yards as the home crowd chanted on "Unstoppable!!! Unstoppable!!!". Hector Zeroni gained credit with the stop. The chain gang moved for the first down at the Mad Dog 41 with 3:02 left in the half.

After Ron's reception, Stan went back to the usual I-formation, but dropped back to pass again. He tried to find an open receiver but the pass fell short and incomplete.

On second down, Stan tried to find a wide-open Mad Dog receiver. Instead, Grover Dill, the hefty 300-pound lineman wearing number 76 for the Tigers, took him down at the Mad Dog 36 for a loss of 5 yards. Wendy Testaberger, who was sitting next to the Marshes, closed her eyes. She couldn't watch her boyfriend to be sacked down into the mud for the third time this evening.

Stan did manage to complete a pass on third and 15, but it was only to the tight end. Oliver Wood caught the ball and only managed a meager gain of 3 yards before Marvin stopped him at the Mad Dog 39.

The Mad Dogs now had to punt for the fourth time as well with 1:59 left in the half.

David fielded the punt and kicked it deep to the Tiger 20 for a 41-yard punt. It was downed at that point by the Mad Dogs.

--SP ball--

With 1:48 remaining in the half, South Panola wanted to make something happen before the end of the period.

On the first play of the drive, Deangelo dropped back a few paces to pass. He wanted to find his intended target, Karl. Number 16 released it as the pocket was closing in on him. Token, however, made contact with Karl just as the ball was reaching him. It prompted the officials to throw the dreaded yellow laundry on the field for the first time tonight.

The official made his decree:

PASS INTERFERENCE ON THE DEFENSE, NUMBER 8 ON THE PLAY, IT IS A 15-YARD PENALTY FROM THE PREVIOUS SPOT, 1ST DOWN!!!!

Token Black, the senior defensive back, was charged with the first penalty of the ballgame for the Mad Dogs.

The ball moved to the Tiger 35 with 1:39 left in the quarter.

Evan then carried next on a fullback blast play and picked up an excellent gain of 14 yards to the Tiger 49 before Jimmie brought him down. It moved the sticks again for the Tigers.

Darius then tried to carry it on the next handoff but was stuffed by Ralph at the 49. Then, suddenly, the ball popped loose on the turf. A brief scrimmage ensued for possession of the football.

Realizing that Chalkey recovered the muddy pigskin on the turf, Ron immediately motioned with his hand that it was Mad Dog football.

The refs confirmed that Chalkey recovered the football and that the possession arrow will be pointed in the Mad Dogs' direction with 1:10 remaining in the half.

Kim, Bonnie, and the rest of the Mad Dog cheerleaders, let out a huge cheer and all 20 cheerleaders simultaneously extended out their hands as the home crowd erupted in a huge cheer.

--MID ball--

With 70 seconds left, Barkin decided to be conservative and not risk going down the field, for fear of the Tigers' defense.

Ron, on the first play, carried the ball up the middle and gained 7 yards on the play to the Tiger 42. Bart gained credit on the stop.

Stan then kept the ball himself to the left and, with the help of the Mad Dog offensive line, picked up the necessary yards for a first down. He picked up 4 more yards to the Tiger 38 as Justin Wilkes stopped him.

Only 24 seconds remained on the clock, so Barkin decided for Stan to take a knee and head into the locker room for the halftime period. The Mad Dogs' coach felt like that his troops have acted far better than they have in Game 4 but there were still some leaks that he has to fix.

Stan, alongside Ladario, Ron, and Troy, kneeled down his ankle on the mud-stained turf at the Tigers 36 yard-line.

As the clock approached zero, the Mad Dogs' crowd cheered for their high school football heroes. Kim waved her pom-poms in the air for her boyfriend as the Mad Dog football players left the gate and headed back to the gym.

South Panola, along with Coach Woods and Von, made their way back into the fieldhouse.

As both marching bands took to the field, Bonnie knew that Tara would be released from her bondage anytime soon, but she didn't know when she would make an appearance.

She turned her head to Kim.

"Hey, K! Guess the halftime score for tonight was much better than what we went through in Game 4!" she said with a laugh, but she was serious at the same time as well. A tied 7-7 ballgame was far better than a 34-7 halftime deficit.

Kim nodded her head in agreement as well as both of the friends made their way to the concession stands. They were getting pretty tired from cheering in the first half and needed something to settle in their stomachs for the second half of a defensive standstill.

The score at the end of the first half of Game 5 was: the Middleton Mad Dogs 7, the South Panola Tigers 7.


	106. An Angel Returns

Time: 8:30pm, Monday

Site: Middleton High Stadium Press Box

John and Felix gave their Game 5 halftime accounts to Mr. Berry so that he can read them out loud to everyone present.

Mr. Berry cleared his throat and turned his mic on:

"Your halftime score of Game 5 is your Middleton Mad Dogs 7, and the South Panola Tigers 7."

"For your Mad Dogs in rushing offense; Ron "Unstoppable" Stoppable has 40 yards on 10 carries; Ladario Weathers had 27 yards on four carries; Troy Bolton had 10 yards on three carries; and Stan Marsh had minus one yard on six carries. In all, your Mad Dogs have 76 yards on 23 carries."

"For the Tigers on the ground, Deangelo Young had 37 yards on five carries, Darius Griffin had 36 yards on six carries, Evan Nordan had 15 yards on four carries, TJ Avery had 13 yards on two carries, and Ash Ketchum had no yards on one carry. In all, the Tigers have 101 yards on 18 carries."

"For your Mad Dogs through the air, Marsh was four of seven for 25 yards and one touchdown and one pick. "Unstoppable" Stoppable has one catch for eight yards; Carver Descartes had one catch for eight yards and a touchdown; Bolton had one catch for six yards; and Oliver Wood had one catch for three yards.

"For the Tigers in the air, Young was one of five for 43 yards and one touchdown and one pick. Karl Branting had the only catch for 43 yards and one touchdown."

"In all, your Mad Dogs had 101 yards on 30 plays and the Tigers had 144 yards on 23 plays."

As the stats were being called out, Kim and Bonnie were getting refreshments.

Attracted to the smell of Nacoes, Rufus zipped from his usual spot in David's pants pocket, down the bleachers, and to the concession stands.

Kim and Bonnie laughed at Rufus' antics as Ned prepared Rufus' Nacoes with the usual assortment of melted cheese and a few packets of Diablo sauce.

All three of them continued to laugh along as they headed back into the stands.

Then, the conversation became more serious.

While Rufus continued to chow down on his Nacoes, Kim and Bonnie then switched the conversation topic to the one cheerleader that they shared so much concerns about: Tara. They wondered at what time tonight that she would be released and would attend the remainder of the game.

"I think, B, that Tara is going to be here at around ...... say ...... at the middle part of the third quarter!" Kim took her guess at Bonnie.

"Hmm, well whatever the time that she comes to Game 5, K, we know that she's safe from the sick monster that is Veruca Salt. I know that T would not miss a Mad Dog game ......" Bonnie agreed with Kim before a familiar voice finished off her sentence.

".......for the world." the voice echoed right behind them. Kim and Bonnie slowly turned their heads around. Rufus did the same thing as well, although he had cheese all over his mouth. They knew that they had recognized that heavenly angelic voice before but they couldn't confirm it until their heads were completely turned around.

The voice belonged to that of Tara Queen, a cheerleader whose criminal record of the Possible robbery was wiped off from the government computers.

Her platinum blonde hair was a little bleached and wet from the was wearing a simple short-sleeved white T-shirt and blue jeans and flip-flops, but looked none the worse for wear.

"TARA!!!!" Kim exclaimed with laughter and joy as she knew deep in her heart that she was still the same Tara that she knew before she went to Juvie Hall.

"T!!!!!! YOU'RE OK!!!!!!" Bonnie shrieked at the top of her lungs with happiness over the fact that she was no criminal after all.

Both of the cheerleaders hugged Tara with tears of happiness streaming down from their eyes.

The Possible parents and Wanda Rockwaller clapped with applause over Tara's return to the glare of the stadium lights rather than the glare of a prison searchlight. Jessica, Liz, Caitlin, Sharpay and Bebe joined in over the excitement that Tara has returned just in time to see the game.

For Tara herself, it was one of the sweetest moment of her life: being welcomed back by the fellow cheerleaders that stood by her side all those years after being incarcerated for three days.

They all welcomed her with laughter, warmth, and comfort that she could only dream of.

Tara's parents both breathed a huge sigh of relief that not only her "criminal record" was wiped off but that she was finally rid of Veruca forever.

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"Thanks, girls!" Tara said as she gave a huge grin across her face. "And I've gotten even better news!"

Kim, Bonnie, Caitlin, Jessica, Sharpay, Liz, and Bebe listened in. "My cheering career at Middleton High ...... IS SAFE!!!!!" Tara screamed with joy. "I can CHEERLEAD AGAIN!!!!!!" She hugged Sharpay, who finally felt the comfort of Tara's presence after being absent for the last three days

"That's spankin', Tara!!" Kim grinned with confidence.

"Even though I can't cheerlead tonight, that doesn't mean that I can't still cheer on for my most favorite team in the world: the Middleton Mad Dogs!!!!!!" Tara smiled as she sat back down on the steel bleachers. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but, to her, it was better than sitting on some ice-cold prison bunk made of steel.

Then she asked the first question that crossed her mind, "Anyways, what did happen at school while I did my time?"

"Well, Tara, here's the sitch so far over the last couple of days," Kim explained to Tara in the best way she could in order to catch up, "Ron and the Mad Dogs had that practice in the rain, we were investigating who really robbed my house, the Senior Pep Rally occurred and we really do have some great shots of that." Then she saved the shocker for last "And you know about the issue with the gold cheer uniforms, right?"

"Yeah, I remember what happened during Game 2. The skirt was so short that a portion of my butt was touching the seat on the way home!" Tara shuddered in sheer disgust. She did not want to pull up that memory again.

"Well, London helped save our squad by introducing these uniforms." Bonnie said with pride as Liz carried a backpack containing Tara's new road cheer uniform. Liz unzipped it and revealed it to Tara. Tara dropped her jaw as she felt her new cheer uniform for the first time. She fell in instant love with it.

"Oh, Kim and Bonnie, thank you! Thank you! Thank you all!!" Tara cried out with joy.

Rufus, now stuffed from his Naco meal, came to Tara's side.

"Oh!" Tara laughed as she felt Rufus on her shoulder. "And how can I forget about you, Rufus?"

"No worries, Tara!" Rufus said in a positive manner and laughed along with her.

Kim then took notice that there was around five minutes left in the halftime show.

"Well, Tara, we have to go back to cheering for now but, after the game, will ya be there at Bueno Nacho?" Kim asked Tara as she was walking down the bleachers.

"You know me, Kim!" Tara smiled back, "I never miss Bueno Nacho for the world!"

All seven cheerleaders went down back to the track with Kim, knowing that their friend was safe and sound.

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Camille, who was on the other side of the track, was caught by surprise by Tara's sudden return.

_Huh? Why is that Tara freak doing here? Maybe I guess that the police must've released her early so that her week of freedom can begin before her trial._ She thought that the hugs were meant to give Tara desperate and meaningless support.

_Anyways, Caitlin is going to be next on my hit list once I use my invisibilty powers to swipe the rarest item from the store and place it in her bag. Once she is gone, Kim and Bonnie are last, and I will use everything in my arsenal to see to it that they will all never see the light of day ever again_. Camille turned around after she saw the hugs from Kim and Bonnie. She never caught the remainder of the conversation of Tara and the other cheerleaders.

It was the first mistake that she made in her seemingly perfect plan to frame all four girls.

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Both teams then took to the field to prepare the beginning of the second half of the game. As the Mad Dogs came in, Sharpay still carried that large Middleton barrier up high while the other cheerleaders did the assortment of tumbles.

Tara wished she was still cheering on the sidelines, if it weren't for that prison stint.

After a series of stretches, the two teams prepared their kickoff teams.

Since South Panola got the ball first to start the game, Middleton would start off the second half.

As Ted Thompson placed the ball on the tee, he signaled that he was ready to kick it off. Ron was ready to return it.

Ted kicked it off and the second half was underway.


	107. Game 5 Quarter 3: Breakthrough

Coach Barkin, at halftime, praised the defense for forcing two turnovers and holding down the Tigers' ground attack. However, he wasn't pleased with the

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The third quarter began when Ladario returned the kickoff instead of Ron at the Mad Dog 4. The senior tailback was able to bring the ball out to the Mad Dog 24 for a 20-yard return as Blaise Zabini, the backup Tiger tailback, stopped him.

--MID ball--

As the offense returned to the field for the first time in the second half, the crowd, led by Kim and the other cheerleaders, rooted on for their homestanding Mad Dogs.

On first down from the 24, Ron got his first carry of the second half. He picked up a couple of good blocks from Ben and Devon up the middle before being stopped at the 32 by Jermaine for a gain of 8.

But things started to go south for the Mad Dogs on 2nd and 2. Stan dropped back to pass, hoping to find Stacey but the protection broke down and he was sacked back to the 24 for a loss of 8 yards by Bart. It was the Tigers' fourth sack of Stan in the game.

"Yes!! That's my special little guy!!" Mrs. Simpson echoed in along with the Tigers' crowd in applause for Bart's efforts.

On 3rd and 10, Stan went back to pass and threw the ball in Carver's direction. The ball, however, sailed through Carver's hands for an incomplete pass.

The Mad Dogs had no choice but to punt. Barkin sent in his Mad Dogs' punting unit and Coach Woods did likewise. David's punt sailed through the cold air and landed at the South Panola 38. Deangleo, seeing the oncoming Mad Dog traffic, distanced himself away from the ball.

It was downed right there at the Tiger 38 with 10:32 left in the third.

--SP ball--

The Mad Dogs went back into the 4-4 position

The Tigers' first possession of the second half started with Deangelo taking the option for himself to the right. He found an excellent block from Francis and picked up 11 yards to the Tiger 49. This was the first time that the Tigers moved the chains in the second half. "Unstoppable" managed to stop him right there.

On first down from the 49, Darius picked up 7 yards on the handoff as South Panola moved into Mad Dog territory at the Middleton 44. Chalkey and Tracey stopped him.

But as the Tigers prepared to run their next play on 2nd and 3, movement suddenly occurred on the Tigers' offensive line. Penalty flags flew all over the place

FALSE START ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 51 ON THE PLAY, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL SECOND DOWN.

Charles Harris was charged with the foul as the ball moved back to the Middleton 49 and the scoreboard changed to 2nd and 8. Around 9:29 showed on the game clock and it was counting down fast.

Deangelo then gave the ball off to Evan, hopefully recovering some of the Tigers' lost yards, on a blast play. The junior fullback was able to make his way to the Mad Dog 45 for a gain of 4 yards. The battered mix of purple and mud from the jersey of number 48, TJ Detwiler, was able to contain him.

On 3rd and 4 with 8:58 showing on the game clock, Deangelo tried to pick up the first down on the option but he was pushed behind the line by Ralph for a loss of 2 yards to the Mad Dog 47.

Kim, Bonnie and the rest of the cheerleaders led the crowd into a chant: "PUNT, SP, PUNT!!! PUNT, SP, PUNT!!!"

Sensing that now is not the best time to go for it, Coach Woods sent in his punting unit. Ron was back to return the punt.

Ash kicked the ball through the cold air and Ron fielded the ball at the Mad Dog 18. He was able to return it to the Mad Dog 20 before Chazz and Ethan Robinson combined on the stop for South Panola. It was a 29-yard punt and a 2-yard return.

--MID ball--

The Middleton offense, along with Ron, came back into the game with 8:36 remaining in the third. He was the single back behind Stan because Weevil came in as the second tight end.

On the first play of the drive, Ron got the handoff from Stan and followed his blockers to the left guard. He picked up 6 yards as Damon stopped him at the Mad Dog 26.

Second and 4 saw Ron carry on the right side. He got excellent blocks from both Oliver and Weevil and gained 9 yards. TJ contributed to the stop, but not before he picked up a first down for the Mad Dogs.

The Mad Dog crowd cheered as the ball moved to the Mad Dog 35 with 7:46 left.

Troy came in for Weevil on the next play. He was called in for a fullback handoff. As the playclock wore down to three seconds, Stan snapped the ball and handed it off to Troy. He was only able to gain 1 yard before Grover stopped him cold at the 36.

Ron then tested the left side of the Tigers' defense on the next handoff. He added 2 more yards before Jarred Wilkes got to him at the Mad Dog 38.

When Coach Barkin saw a 3rd and 7 situation coming up for his team, he called his team's first timeout with 6:58 remaining.

Barkin called in a pass play: "11 Eagle Left". Stan understood what that play meant and returned to the huddle.

Tara, in the stands, was getting anxious. _Come on Mad Dogs!! Let's get the first down!!_

With the play clock at 5, Stan snapped the ball from Devon. He scanned the field to find his intended receiver: Stacey Logan. Stacey was on the Mad Dog 44 when he made the catch. He made his way to midfield before being met by Deangelo. He gained 12 yards on the pass play, which was more than enough for the first down.

After Stacey's catch, Ron got another carry up the middle but only picked up 1 yard before Russell pinned him down at the Tiger 49.

Stan then dropped back to pass and spotted Carver in single-man coverage against TJ. Carver caught Stan's pass at South Panola's 40-yardline and fought for a few more yards to the Tiger 34 for a 15-yard pickup. TJ stopped his advance, but the Mad Dogs still continued to move to the sticks. Around 5:47 was left on the clock.

Then, to catch South Panola's defense by surprise, Barkin called in a trick play: "1 Option Reverse".

The Mad Dogs came out in the I-formation but Stan motioned Carver in motion. He barked the signals and appeared that he was handing the ball off to Ron, but he acually gave the ball to Carver. Carver swerved to the left side and took the Tigers defense by surprise. He was about to cut to the middle of the field when he saw Deangelo and Bart closing in on him. Carver went out of bounds at the Tiger 27 for a 13-yard run with 5:30 left in the period.

The crowd cheered loudly in response to Carver's efforts. The Mad Dog cheerleaders kept the fans' hopes up!

_Let's go Mad Dogs!!!! _

_Let's bring the Tigers down!!  
Let's go Mad Dogs!!!  
Score a touchdown!!!!!_

After Carver's trick play, Ron went back to what he loved best: running against the Tigers' defense. Stan handed the ball off to the star tailback. The gold numbering of his number 7 jersey was barely recognizable as he went up the middle to the Tigers 21 for a gain of 6. Evan was the first white Tiger jersey who brought him down there.

Troy then carried next on the fullback handoff and picked up 3 hard-earned yards to the 18 before Roger stopped him there.

On third and one, Coach Barkin sent in Jeremy and Weevil for his wideouts. The Tigers came in with their goal-line set. Stan barked the signals and kept the ball himself on a QB sneak. He got to the 16 for a 2-yard gain as three white Tiger jerseys surrounded him. The Middleton O-Line pushed hard against the Tiger defenders. Grover and Bart both got credit for the stop, but the drive was still alive with 4:09 left in the period.

Ron got the next carry and went to the right guard. He picked up a good block from Oliver as he gained 4 yards to South Panola's 12-yard line before Russell got to him.

He continued his attack on the Tigers' defense by carrying on 2nd and 6. Number 7 cut through South Panola for a gain of 8 yards to the 4-yard line. Bart s It was a much-needed first down that the Mad Dogs needed in order to break a 7-7 stalemate with 3:13 left.

Barkin sent in his two tight ends again on first and goal. The Mad Dogs were on the verge of breaking this deadlock. Stan carried the ball for himself, hoping to gain anything. He picked up 3 yards to the Tiger 1 as Nelson Muntz gained credit for the tackle.

On 2nd down and goal, Ron came up behind Troy and Stan. Two minutes and 29 seconds remained on the game clock. He gained the handoff from Stan and prepared to go up the middle against a dogpile of players. Then, he shifted to his right and crossed the goal-line to the Tigers end zone. The referee's hands shot up in the air.

This meant only one thing to Ron.

"TOUCHDOWN, MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNSTOPPABLE STOPPABLE HAS SCORED ON A 1-YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN AND YOUR MAD DOGS HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD!!!!!!!!" Mr. Berry screamed excitedly through the mic in the press box.

Kim raised her pom-poms in the air to celebrate her boyfriend's latest accomplishment: his fifth rushing touchdown of the series.

"Let's go, Unstoppable!!!" she exclaimed with joy.

The crowd joined in the chant as well.

Ron Stoppable has scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 2:22 remaining in the third period.

Charlie capped off the six-minute touchdown drive with the PAT.

The Mad Dogs' fight song played in the background while Sharpay carried the large Middleton flag across the track.

The score was now: Middleton 14, South Panola 7.

--SP ball--

Coach Woods, seeing that his defense was thoroughly exhausted after that 6-minute drive, brought in his kickoff team. The Tigers needed to get back into the game.

Charlie kicked the ball off into the air and Karl fielded the kick from the Tiger 3; He was able to return it to the Tigers' 29 before Jamie Davis wrapped him up.

The Tigers started their next drive with 2:13 remaining in the quarter. They came in the usual I-formation with Darius and Evan in the backfield. The Mad Dogs now showed their 3-4 defense against the Tigers with Tracey in for Ralph.

On first down, Darius tried a handoff up the middle but only picked up 4 yards to the Tigers' 33 as Chalkey and Doug combined on the stop.

With the clock now under two minutes for the period, Darius carried again to the left side and was unable to pick up anything for no gain. Butters stopped him at the line of scrimmage.

On third down, Deangelo kept the ball himself to the right. However, he was stopped well short of a first down. He only picked up 3 yards to the 36 before Jimmie stopped him.

The Tigers had to punt again.

In the stands, Tara was amazed at how the Mad Dogs' defense was able to keep the Tigers' running game in check for the entire contest.

Ash punted the ball from the Tigers' 37 to the Mad Dog 32-yard line for a 31-yard punt. It was downed at that spot as just 16 seconds remained on the game clock.

--MID ball--

The final play of the third quarter was a handoff from Stan to Ron up the middle for a gain of 3 yards to the Middleton 35.

As the clock reached 0:00 to signal the end of the third, the Middleton crowd was optimistic but still very cautious at what the Tigers could bring in the fourth quarter.

Even though she was happy that the Mad Dogs were in the lead, Tara shared that same cautious feeling as the other Mad Dog fans. She knew South Panola wouldn't give up that easily.

At the end of the third quarter of Game 5, the score is: the Middleton Mad Dogs 14, the South Panola Tigers 7.


	108. Game 5 Quarter 4: The Noise

As the fourth quarter dawned on both teams in a fast-paced Game 5, Mother Nature has affected the two teams in both ways. On one hand, the Mad Dogs have held down the Tigers' rushing attack to below 150 yards. But on the other, the Tigers have sacked Stan Marsh four times.

Both the Tigers' jerseys and the Mad Dogs' jerseys were stained thoroughly from the mud.

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On the first play of the final quarter from the Mad Dog 35, Ron then got the next carry on 2nd and 7. He followed his Mad Dog blockers and picked up 11 more yards to the Mad Dog 46 as The familiar sight of Deangelo, the mud-stained number 16 Tigers jersey, came up with the tackle.

Barkin then wanted to play conservative. By doing this, the Mad Dogs wanted to milk the clock as much as they could so that South Panola would be given little chance to strike back.

Ron got the next handoff from Stan as the play clock went to 2 seconds and got to the Mad Dog 48 before Grover Dill stopped him for a gain of 2 yards.

Waiting until the play clock went down to 1; Ron got the next carry and was dragged down behind the line by Jarred for a loss of 3 yards to the Mad Dog 45.

On 3rd and 11, Troy then got the blast play and picked up 4 yards to the 49 but was well short of the first down. Bart made the stop and the Mad Dogs had to punt with 10:14 left in the game.

David kicked the ball into the wind and pinned the Tigers deep in their own territory. He didn't want his punt to land into the end zone. Instead, it landed at South Panola's 6-yard line. The Mad Dogs downed it there with 9:58 remaining in the game.

--SP ball--

Deep in their own territory, the Tigers had to find a way to open holes in the tough Middleton defense. But they had less than 10 minutes to move the ball 94 yards to the end zone.

So, the Tigers had to move the ball but they also had to be careful not to turn the ball over.

On the Mad Dogs' side, Kim and the cheerleaders, in their minds, wanted their fellow Mad Dog players to be careful not to allow a big play by South Panola.

TJ Avery came in for Darius as tailback but Evan still remained as the fullback.

The first play of the drive was a handoff from Deangelo to TJ, who got his first carry since the second quarter. TJ cut through the left side of the 3-4 defense of the Mad Dogs and managed a gain of 7 yards to the Tiger 13. Lee made the stop on run support for the Mad Dogs.

On 2nd and 3, Evan then carried to the Tiger 15 on a blast play for a gain of 2 yards as Mikey stuffed him short of the first down marker with 8:49 left in the game.

The Tigers brought in an extra tight end in Viktor Krum for Willie. The Mad Dogs were now in the 5-2 formation.

Kim and the other cheerleaders raised their golden pom-poms in the air with the shots of "DEFENSE!!! DEFENSE!!!" emitting from the crowd on this 3rd and 1 play.

Unfortunately, it didn't work like last time.

Deangelo managed to sneak by the Mad Dog defense with the help of the South Panola offensive line. He picked up a gain of 3 yards up the middle to the 18-yard line of the Tigers. It was good enough for a first down with 8:22 left. Ladarius Jones and Butters both contributed on the stop. The crowd was disappointed when the Tigers moved the sticks.

The Mad Dogs then went back to their 4-3 formation.

TJ then carried up the middle for the Tigers and managed a meager gain of 2 yards to the South Panola 20-yard line before Ralph halted his advance.

Deangelo carried it on the left side for an option play on 2nd and 8 and made his way to the Tiger 26 before Ron and Chalkey combined on the stop. He gained 6 yards on the play.

Ash then subbed in for Evan at fullback.

Sensing that it was 3rd and 2 with 7:13 left, Kim and the Mad Dog cheerleaders tried again to pump up the crowd to, hopefully, put an end to the Tigers' drive.

But, again, the Tigers' running game silenced the Middleton crowds. Ash got the handoff from Deangelo. The offensive line held long enough for the 220-pound fullback/punter to go up the middle for a 5-yard gain to the 31-yard line of South Panola. It was only his second carry of the ballgame but it moved the sticks again.

Seeing that she failed to pump up the crowd twice on those crucial third-down conversions, Kim grew a worried feeling that South Panola was not going to stop from winning the game.

TJ then carried on the seventh play of the drive. He followed his blocks to the left and gained 6 more yards to the 37 before Chalkey stuffed him to the cold muddy turf.

Deangelo then kept the option once again to the right and picked up the third first down on the drive at the Tigers 44 for 7 yards. Ron stopped him but even he was beginning to feel a bit frustrated that the Mad Dogs couldn't stop the Tigers' running game on this drive with 5:39 left.

Darius then came back in for TJ at tailback for South Panola.

Ash tried to carry up the middle for the ninth play of the drive but was held back by Butters for no gain.

Then, on the 10th play, Coach Woods called in "14 Left Pitchout". Deangelo was called in to pitch the ball to Darius from the left. Around 5:10 remained in the game and two ticks were on the play clock when the ball was snapped. Darius got the pitch from Deangleo and moved to the left as Burris Ewell opened a huge hole for the Tigers' tailback. Darius cleared through the first and second-level Mad Dog defenders.

Darius was now into Mad Dog territory and it seemed that nothing would stop him, judging from the reaction of the downtrodden Mad Dog crowds.

Kim feared the worst that Darius would break through for a touchdown, but luckily, Ron was there to bring down Darius at the Mad Dog 30. Still, Darius picked up the longest run of the ballgame: 26 yards.

After the overwhelming run by Darius, Evan came back in for Ash at fullback with 4:45 left in the game.

Darius then picked up 3 more yards on first down up the middle to Middleton's 27-yard line as Doug made the stop.

Evan then took a fullback blast play up the middle for the 12th play of the drive and picked up 5 more yards to the Mad Dog 22 before TJ can come up with the stop.

Around 3:46 remained in the game and the Mad Dog defense didn't know what to do on a crucial third down situation. Coach Woods prepared to call in his next play, but then, to his horror, the play wasn't materializing fast enough and the play clock was about to go to zero. To add to this, the crowd noise was starting to increase as well.

Thinking fast, he signaled in for a timeout: the first of the Tigers' three timeouts, with 3:30 remaining in the game. The first of the three yellow bulbs disappeared from the Mad Dogs' scoreboard.

The legendary Tigers coach looked at the fatigued Mad Dog defense and huddled with his players to figure out how to keep them on the field a bit longer and then, hit them with a touchdown and then a two-point conversion to win the game for South Panola.

Coach Barkin, meanwhile, also used this timeout to give his defensive starters a brief 1-minute break because he knew that this drive was taking more than 6 minutes from the game clock. They were now being nourished with water and Gatorade.

_If South Panola scores on this drive, we're screwed!!!! _Barkin worried to himself as he motioned his players to get back onto the field to experience three and a half more minutes of pain.

As the timeout expired, Dudley Dursley snapped the ball with 9 seconds on the play clock. Deangelo gave it off to Darius up the middle again. Once again, the South Panola offensive line overpowered the smaller Middleton defenders. Darius found the necessary hole needed for the Tigers to pick up another first down on the drive. He was stopped at the Mad Dog 14 for a gain of 8 yards by Token Black.

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As South Panola continued to creep closer and closer to the end zone, Tara now confirmed her fears that unless Middleton can either create a turnover or a goal-line stand in the next three minutes, the Mad Dogs were doomed. _But how can we stop them? They have so many weapons on offense, it'll be hard to contain which Tiger has the football!_

She could feel the chills right down her spine. James, who was sitting right next to Tara, decided that he should offer up his jacket to a shivering Tara. Ann nodded her head to her husband, knowing that it would be in the best of their interests to comfort their best friend.

"Here you go, Tara!" James said with a smile as he offered up his jacket to Tara, still chatting her teeth from the bitter cold.

"You-You're wel-welcome, Mr. Possible!" Tara shivered as she placed the heavy trenchcoat jacket on her body.

All three of them continued to watch the events unfolding in the game.

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On the 14th play of the drive, Darius still continued to pound away at the Mad Dog defense and all hopes of winning Game 5. He went up the middle to the Mad Dog 8 for a pickup of 6 yards as Jimmie stopped him there. He thought that it was only a matter of time before South Panola could pick up the go-ahead touchdown and the two point conversion. Darius clearly saw the beaten-down looks of the Mad Dogs.

TJ Detwiler stared out at the scoreboard as 2:46 still remained on the game clock. Then he looked at his beaten down defensive teammates that have been on this drive for the last seven minutes. The cold winds were continuing to bite against them. Then, he remembered the first part of what Ron said prior to the game. _We HAVE to hold them here!!! _Ron's voice echoed into the senior linebacker's mind as the Tigers' offense broke the huddle for the 15th play of a drive that seemed to last for eternity.

Dudley snapped the ball with 2:33 left in the game and 6 on the play clock. Deangelo handed it off to Evan, his fullback, on this 2nd and 4 play.

Remembering Ron's words, TJ took them to heart as he instantly hit Evan hard at the line of scrimmage and brought him down back to the 8-yard line for no gain.

______________________________________________________________________________

As Kim witnessed the huge hit by TJ from the sidelines and that the scoreboard changed to a 3rd and 4 situation, it dawned on her that there was still hope for her Mad Dogs to stop the long Panola drive and to win the game.

_If South Panola can knock our crowd out of the game, we can bring them back into the game!!_She started to raise her pom-poms up in the air and the crowd noise on the home side started to increase. Bonnie followed suit and raised her pom-poms in an up-and-down motion as well. The Middleton Mad Dog played by Libby then raised its paws up in the air. Soon enough, all of the other Mad Dog cheerleaders were raising their golden pom-poms in the up-and-down motion as well. The crowd then became louder and louder.

Even the second- and third-string players, with their almost pristine jerseys not stained by the mud, got involved as well. Both of the Tweebs, Wyatt Williams and Jimmie Zara stood on top of the team box bleachers and palmed their hands up and down to increase the already-loud home side even more. Josh, Zeke, Chad, and Jonesy did the same thing while walking up and down the team box. The fans responded back by stomping on their feet on the ground and screaming at the top of their lungs: "DEFENSE!!!!"

______________________________________________________________________________

Coach Woods looked at the play clock. His 3rd and 4th play was taking too long to develop and the play clock was already down to 5 seconds when they broke the huddle. He called in the Tigers' second timeout.

Deangelo, realizing that he couldn't get the play off, agreed with his coach and signaled to the game officials that they would call in their second timeout with 2:07 left in the game. The Tigers' coach called in a "7 Eagle Pass". The mud-soaked white jersey of number 16 agreed with his coach on the play and returned back to the huddle.

The Mad Dogs used the timeout to give another much-needed brief break to their players.

As South Panola's second timeout came to a close, they were ready for the next play.

With 4 seconds on the play-clock, Deangelo snapped the ball and dropped back to pass. He was trying to find Karl in the end zone. What he failed to see was that Butters was coming toward him from his blind side. Butters took Deangelo completely by surprise and sacked him to the turf at the Mad Dog 15 for a loss of 7 yards. The Middleton crowd cheered on Butters' efforts then resumed their noisy efforts of supporting their Mad Dogs.

It was now 4th and 11. The clock was now under two minutes and counting down.

The Mad Dogs were now sending in their nickel defense with Jamie Davis as the fifth defensive back.

But, once again, the play for the Tigers, the very play that can help or hurt them, was not materializing fast enough and they came out of the huddle with only four seconds on the playclock.

Coach Woods then decided that his Tigers should spend their third and final timeout with 1:48 remaining in the game. He called in the play that could make or break their efforts in Game 5: "10 Falcon Pass", a pass intended for Willie Wiggins.

On the negative side of the timeout, it also gave all of Mad Dog Nation a chance to show off the very cheer that earned them the reputation as the loudest stadium in the nation: the Mad Dog Chant. This chant was only reserved when the opposing team faced a fourth-down conversion and that the Mad Dogs were on defense. All 9,000 Mad Dog fans would simultaneously stomp on their feet and would give a long droning chant of "Let's goooooooooooooooooooooooo...." and when the ball was snapped, "MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" would be screaming from the top of their lungs. This was also the very same chant that helped them defeat Lowerton in the South State Title.

Kim and the cheerleaders led the way in the Mad Dog Chant as both teams concluded the timeout.

While she was pumping up the crowd, Bonnie thought to herself, _This is it!! _The crowd was now reaching its climax in terms of sound as Deangelo came under center.

The play clock went down to eight ticks when the ball was snapped. Deangelo dropped back to pass.

When the Mad Dog Chant reached the "goooooooooooooooooo" part, Felix measured it on the Decibel Counter program installed on his laptop. It was on 81 dcBs.

The Tigers' crowd held their breath for this one very play.

Tara crossed her fingers tight, praying that the Mad Dogs would make the stop needed. "

"MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!" the 9,000 fans screamed at the top of their lungs.

The Tiger quarterback released it into the air and in the endzone, hoping to find Willie and a chance for the Tigers to win the game.

And the pass was ..............

picked off by the very familar player who wore number 7 on his jersey: Ronald Stoppable!!!

Ron picked off the pass right in front of Willie in the end zone with 1:40 left in the game. Willie brought him down but it did not matter.

"And ....... UNSTOPPABLE STOPPABLE HAS PICKED OFF A TIGER PASS!!!!!!!!" Mr. Berry exclaimed through the stadium speakers.

As the announcement was proclaimed throughout the stadium, all of Mad Dog Nation uttered a large explosion of cheeering, applause, and airhorns throught the home side of the stadium. The overwhelming reaction to Ron's interception was so loud that it can be heard from two and a half miles. According to Felix's Decibel Counter, it was now over 112 dcBs.

Kim waved her golden pom-poms as high as she could in the air. _Yes, Ron!!!! _Then, she led the Mad Dog cheerleaders to a victory cheer:

_Let's fight, Mad Dogs!!! Let's fight!! Fight!! FIGHT!!!  
The Mad Dogs are going to win again tonight!!!_

Sharpay waved the Middleton banner through the cold air to celebrate the latest accomplishment of number 7.

Tara hugged the Possible parents right next to her.

However, it was the complete opposite reaction from the perspective of the South Panola fans. The drive covered 79 yards in 17 plays and sapped 8:18 off the clock, only to be wasted by an interception made by "Unstoppable" Stoppable. The Tiger fans left the visiting stands in droves for the final 100 seconds of the game.

--MID ball--

After the excitement from Ron's interception subsided, the Mad Dogs now had the ball at their own 20. Since Ron made the pick in the endzone, it was ruled as a touchback.

This time, Ron took a brief rest on the sidelines at the accomplishments and miracles that he performed tonight: scoring the go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and just now, stopping an eight-minute drive with the game-winning pick in the end-zone with 1:40 remaining in the game.

Ladario came into the game for Ron. The defeated and shellshocked South Panola team came out with their defense.

On first down, Ladario got the simple handoff from Stan and followed his blocks as he picked up 7 yards on the run before Evan took him down at the Mad Dog 27.

Ladario then carried on the next play. He went to the right side and gutted the Tigers' defense for 9 more yards to the Middleton 36 as the Mad Dogs picked up another first down and wore the clock down to 1:03 remaining. It temporarily stopped before the clock started up again.

The Tigers couldn't stop it because all three of their timeouts were gone.

Ron then got the handoff. The play clock went down to 2 seconds before the ball was snapped. He gained 2 yards before Jarred stopped Ron at the Mad Dog 38 with 34 seconds left in the game.

Barkin then nodded to Ron.

"Stoppable, we're going in the victory formation." Ron understood Barkin's command as he prepared for the final play of Game 5.

As the Mad Dogs went into the quarterback kneel formation, the Mad Dog crowd gave a standing ovation to their 11 heroes.

Kyle, Brock Kelly, and Butters dumped Gatorade over Barkin's head and he laughed along with them.

Stan, surrounded by his ten other teammates, waited until the play clock showed three ticks and took a knee at the Mad Dog 37.

A few seconds later, Game 5 was over. The Middleton crowd cheered loudly for their team as the Mad Dog fight song echoed throughout the stadium.

Tara was happy that, even though she wasn't cheering tonight, she felt like that she was a part of them when the crucial moments came in the ballgame.

The final score for Game 5 was: the Middleton Mad Dogs 14, the South Panola Tigers 7.


	109. One More Game

Time: 9:50pm, Monday

Place: Middleton High Stadium

As the Tiger fans continued to disperse, the whole of Mad Dog Nation was celebrating their 14-7 victory over the Tigers in Game 5.

Felix closed his laptop and activated his wheelchair as he prepared to leave the stadium. John was right behind him. But before he went down the elevator, he wheeled on over to the room where Mr. Berry was.

"Here are the stats for Game 5." Felix said, holding the wad of papers containing all the information of tonight's game.

"Thanks for your help, Felix!" Mr. Berry called out to Felix as he heard the ding of the elevator. Felix and John headed down, preparing to meet up with Kim and the others below.

Mr. Berry then pressed the button to announce what had happened in tonight's win.

"Your final score for Game 5 of the MHSAA Football Series is your Middleton Mad Dogs 14, the South Panola Tigers 7. Your Mad Dogs are now ahead in the series by three games to two.

"For your Mad Dogs on the ground, Ron "Unstoppable" Stoppable has 99 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown; Ladario Weathers had 43 yards on six carries; Troy Bolton had 18 yards on six carries; Carver Descartes had 13 yards on one carry and Stan Marsh had minus four yards on nine carries. In all, your Mad Dogs had 169 yards on 45 carries and one touchdown.

"For South Panola on the ground, Darius Griffin had 90 yards on 13 carries; Deangleo Young had 58 yards on 12 carries; TJ Avery had 28 yards on five carries; Evan Nordan had 26 yards on eight carries; and Ash Ketchum had five yards on three carries. In all, the Tigers had 207 yards on 41 carries.

"For your Mad Dogs through the air, Marsh was six of 10 for 52 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Descartes had two catches for 23 yards and one touchdown; Stacey Logan had one catch for 12 yards; "Unstoppable" Stoppable had eight yards on one catch; Bolton had six yards on one catch; and Oliver Wood had three yards on one catch.

"For the Tigers in the air, Young was one of six for 43 yards and one touchdown with two picks. Karl Branting caught one pass for 43 yards and one touchdown.

"In all, your Mad Dogs had 221 yards on 55 plays and the Tigers had 250 yards on 47 plays.

"Remember all you Mad Dog fans out there, Game 6 is Wednesday night in Batesville, so support your Mad Dogs on the road.

"So buckle up and drive home safely!

"And as always .......... GOOOOOO MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Hey, Tara! You wanna head on over to Bueno Nacho?" James asked the familiar blonde sitting right next to her. Tara's voice was still a little weak over the play that Ron made that sealed the win.

"Sure, Mr. Possible. Anyways, anything is much better than prison food. Besides, it's growing .....brrr..... colder." Tara agreed with the Possible parents before clenching the trenchcoat with her hands. Her teeth were still chatting, even though she drank a couple of cops of the hot chocolate flown in from Sweden.

Then, the idea of hot Nacoes returned to Tara. She wasn't hungry much because her stomach was still hurting a little bit. But, now at 10:00, she was ready to consume them.

"We'll meet Kimberly and her friends in front of the school as usual. Hopefully, she'll have any updates on my missing pendant." Anne said as she turned her smile into a sorrowful frown. She knew how much that anniversary pendant meant to her.

The three headed down from the bleachers and headed to the exits, waiting for Kim, Bonnie, Caitlin and Sharpay to conclude their celebraton down on the field.

_____________________________________________________________________________  
On the football field, there was excitement among cheerleaders and players alike. They were still talking about the one-handed interception made by "Unstoppable" Stoppable with 1:40 left in the game.

The cheerleaders were all jumping up and down with the victory. None of the cheerleaders was more happy about the victory than Sharpay. She wanted to treasure this one game at Middleton High Stadium in her memory forever and the end of the game was quite fitting for a storybook ending. The clincher, though, was her loving boyfriend, Eugene "Flash" Thompson, was by her side. She looked on happily as another very familiar boyfriend/girlfriend couple was going to enjoy their moment together underneath the air of the Friday night lights.

______________________________________________________________________________

Kim was talking with Bonnie about the post-game celebration that would be held at Bueno Nacho.

"So, like, Josh would be there with his band!! It's going to be soooooo exciting, B! I even heard that Tara is going to be there!!" Kim enthusiastically replied.

Bonnie tried to calm her friend down. "Hey, cool down, K! I know that we won but we shouldn't get too excited about our efforts tonight. We both know how South Panola won their two games so we still must exercise caution on our hopes of winning Game 6 on Wednesday."

Upon hearing her words, Kim calmed herself down and sighed as she stared into the cold and cloudy sky. "Yeah, B, you're right! We shouldn't be so overconfident. We narrowly pulled out the W so it would be wise not to overblow the win and gloat about it. It's so not like us."

Just then, a familiar voice called out from the sidelines. Just the mere sound of that voice caught Kim's attention right off the bat.

"KP!!! My bon-diggety girlfriend!!" Ron laughed with joy as he came racing towards his girlfriend. He was covered head to toe in the mud for getting almost the century mark in rushing yards.

"Ron!! My ever-loving boyfriend!!!!" Kim hugged Ron in a loving manner as both of them gave their show of love in the form of a kiss on the midfield logo, the very same spot where they became boyfiriend and girlfriend for the very first time.

The kiss lasted for 11 seconds before Barkin motioned his players to go into a team huddle to give his overview of tonight's ballgame.

All of the players huddled near the Mad Dog coaches and the cheerleaders were right behind them. Kim was sitting by Ron as Barkin announced his assessment:

"I saw a lot of good things out there tonight. Y'all beat the Tigers and y'all proved to ourselves and to the Middleton community that we are a much better team tonight than in Game 4. The defense did extremely well tonight, forcing three turnovers against the Tigers and holding them to just 250 yards of total offense tonight! We gave up only a couple of big plays, but we didn't panic when Panola went on that long drive tonight! We picked them off and got the W. We are just one game away from winning this series and proving to the nation that we Mad Dogs CAN compete and beat the Tigers, anytime and anywhere!!!!"

The cheerleaders raised their golden pom-poms in celebration over Barkin's beaming comments. His smile, though, faded away as he turned to his starting quarterback, Stan Marsh.

"However, there were a couple of downsides, most notably our offensive line. Marsh got sacked four times to the turf. So, tomorrow afternoon, we are going to practice for the next two hours until we get the offensive line correctly before we leave to go back to Batesville that night!"

The Mad Dogs nodded their heads, knowing full well that South Panola would show very little mercy on their home turf.

"So, in conclusion, enjoy tonight's victory, Mad Dogs!!!! You deserve this for your fans!!! After our team prayer, get to the showers and change. I must see all of y'all, tomorrow afternoon on this very same field!!! Is that UNDERSTOOD????"

"YES SIR!!!!" the Mad Dog players obeyed Barkin, knowing of the potential rewards if they won Game 6 in Batesville.

Eugene, still in his crutches and wearing his number 37 jersey, led the team prayer. After a few brief moments of praise, Ron added in the Mad Dog Chant that was used by the football team. All the players joined in as they raised their helmets in the air. The cheerleaders also put in their pom-poms as well.

"1............2..........3...........MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!"

While the team prayer was going on, Kim noticed something that was quite odd: Camille was _actually_ getting involved in the team circles, even though she has been banned from church a couple of years ago. Yet, something seemed fishy to her. She rubbed the tip of her chin when the prayer concluded. _Hmmm, Camille getting involved in our prayer circles? Something is so not right here_,she wondered.

______________________________________________________________________________

Camille, meanwhile, continued her perfect charade as a cheerleader that is happy with Kim's system and attended the prayer circle for the first time in her life. But once it ended, she continued with the next phase of her evil scheme.

The deb then spotted Caitlin talking to Wyatt Williams and Jonesy Garcia about the items that she planned to buy at CB. She made sure to walk slowly as to overhear their conversation without being noticed.

"So I'm, like, going to buy this little sleeveless black dress for the Winter Formal. It is going to be sooooooooooo perfect!!!!!" Caitlin dreamily said to the two Mad Dog players. She couldn't wait to find the right guy to ask out to the formal.

Camille went past them and snickered to herself. _Oh, you'll find a new outfit, all right. A prison uniform!! Once I finalize the details of my plans to frame you, you won't be cheering for the Mad Dogs ..... anymore._ She snickered to herself, knowing that she'll be more treacherous than anyone can anticipate.

______________________________________________________________________________

The last cheerleader, who was Sharpay, closed and locked the gate to the stadium. She wept bitterly in her hands of all the memories, good and bad, that happened in the stadium over the last four years of her life. She dried up her tears and gathered with the other cheerleaders.

It was going to be an eventful post-game celebration at Bueno Nacho.


	110. Two Interesting Chemicals

Time: 10:10pm, Monday

Place: Middleton Gym

As the Mad Dog players headed out of the locker room, the cheerleaders awaited their heroes of Game 5 outside.

Ron was the first to come out of those gym doors. All of the cheerleaders gave shouts of applause to him as he came strutting in with confidence, knowing that the Mad Dogs have a three games to two lead in the series.

"Hello, KP, my bon-diggiest girlfriend! Ready to go to Bueno Nacho with me?" Ron confidently said as he strutted up to Kim.

"I'm more than ready, Ron!" Kim giggled as she spotted a speck of dirt on Ron's face. Despite the fact that he showered, some bits of dirt and cold mud still spattered his face. He deserved every single bit of it after running for 99 yards and a touchdown and making the game-winning pick in the end zone.

Bonnie laughed along with them when she heard the honking horn of Bebe's truck.

"Hey, Bonnie, Kim, Ron! Do ya need a ride to Bueno Nacho?" Bebe asked out loud from her truck. She had Caitlin in the passenger seat.

"No thanks, Bebe." Kim responded happily with her declined reply. "Me, Bonnie, and Ron are going to meet up with my parents in front of the school."

"Ok, Kim. See ya at BN!" Bebe said as she waved to Kim, Bonnie, and Ron. She drove her truck out of the gym parking lot and headed towards Bueno Nacho.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Let's head on over to the front of the school." Kim said to Bonnie and Ron, knowing that all the cheerleading and football has made the three of them quite hungry. So, they headed toward the front of the school, where the rest of the Possible family, and Tara, were waiting.

Most of the other cheerleaders headed towards to the direction of Bueno Nacho. A few of them, though, were far too tired to think of food after all of the excitement of the game, so they headed home.

The last cheerleader remaining in the parking lot was Camille. All alone, she called up Dr. Leon to pick her up. Around 15 minutes later, her personal limousine was there, with Dr. Leon driving as usual. She snickered as she thought of the final phase of her plan once Caitlin has been detained.

_Once Caitlin's life is totally ruined, I'll concentate the third and final phase on Kim and Bonnie after Game 6! Regardless of the outcome of the game, I'll pin a crime that is so horrible on them that they will both be thrown into Juvie until the age of 21!!!! By Thursday, their cheering careers WILL BE OVER!!!! Hah-hah hah!!!!_ The limousine drove along Highway 49 as it approached the rural road leading to the Leon household.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 10:20pm

Place: In front of Middleton High School.

Kim, Bonnie and Ron came to the front of the school where the Possible parents were waiting, along with Tara.

As Tara caught sight of Ron for the first time in three days, she excitedly waved her hand to him. Ron waved back to her.

"Hey, Tara!! It's nice to see ya free from prison!!" Ron cried out joyously. "Did ya enjoy the ballgame?"

"Sure did, Ron! I arrived at the beginning of the second half! And I especially enjoyed the way that you made that pick in the end zone to stop Panola from scoring!" Tara blurted out the information of the obvious, even though she knew that her voice was still a bit hoarse from all the screaming from that one play.

"Aww, Tara, it was nothing at all! I had to do what was best for the team!" Ron laughed as the thought of Nacoes entered his mind. "Right now, though, all that football has made me hungry for some Bueno Nacho."

Kim and Bonnie nodded their heads in agreement. Then, Sharpay pulled up with her car, followed by the Possibles in the SUV, and, lastly, Felix and John. Kim and Ron got into Sharpay's car. Bonnie went with the Possible parents and the Tweebs while Tara rode with the two statisticians.

In the back seat of Sharpay's car, Kim leaned her side against Ron's. She was extremely exhausted from all the cheering and the leading of the entire Middleton crowd.

"Ron, I am pretty feeling kinda tired." Kim droopily said before giving out a long yawn. "I think I should have a salad instead of Nacos for tonight."

"I understand, KP. And all I have to say is ......." Ron said before interrupting the statement with a simple kiss to her forehead. When she felt that kiss, she gave a deep sigh and a long smile before the vehicles parked into the Bueno Nacho parking lot.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 10:35pm

Place: Bueno Nacho

The parking lot was nearly packed.

Bueno Nacho was busier than it has ever before. Even during "Half-off Naco Nights" on Saturdays, it didn't pale to the amount of customers that were present in the restaurant at the time.

Even Ned was completely overwhelmed at all of the customers enjoying their post-Game 5 dinner. Some were carrying the food and Nacoes to go while others sat and enjoyed the food in the restaurant. All of Bueno Nacho's employees were struggling to keep up with demand.

Then, the three cars pulled up. James was lucky to find a convenient parking place in front of the restaurant. The first to enter Bueno Nacho was Ron and Kim.

As soon as they stepped into the restaurant, everyone, including Ned, gave a standing ovation to the couple. Cheers and applause were heard round the restaurant.

Bonnie and Tara followed behind them. The rest entered the restaurant.

Upon seeing the sight of the two captains, Ned used his microphone and through the loudspeaker system.

"Hey, everyone!! Let's hear it for our Mad Dogs who are just one win away from claiming this football series and proving to the world that underdogs RULE!!!!!!!"

All of the Mad Dog cheerleaders, players, and fans gave three shouts of "Hip-hip-hooray!!!!!" as the four proceeded to sit down at a nearby empty table.

Rufus spotted his owner from where Ron's parents were eating. He raced on over and

When the cheering subsided and regular conversation resumed, Ned came up to Bonnie, Tara, Ron, and Kim and awaited to take their orders.

"So what will it be tonight?" Ned asked to his favorite customers, pad and pencil in hand.

"I'll have my usual large-size Naco Grande special with the Works!!" Ron said as he directed his order.

Rufus nodded his head, "And Rufus will have the same thing as well." his owner added in agreement. Then, turning to his girlfriend, he redirected a new question to her, "And you, KP?"

Kim then placed her order, "I'll just have a side salad and a small order of Nacoes, plain."

Ned turned his head to Tara, indicating that she was next to order her food. Reflecting back on her three-day prison stint, she was lucky that she wasn't going to spend the next four and a half years, eating that dandruff-infested, fly-ridden gruel that the Building Six inmates were served with. Still, just the mere sight of it made her sick to her stomach.

"I'll have a side salad as well, Ned." Tara sighed as she held her stomach. She knew how much she had suffered ever since that Friday night.

And, finally, Ned came to Bonnie, "And for you?" he asked.

Bonnie quickly decided, "Caesar side salad for me."

"Ok, coming right up." Ned decreed as he took up their menus.

______________________________________________________________________________

While the four were awaiting their meals, they were discussing the first order of business: the Winter Formal on Saturday.

Kim started up the conversation.

"So, I saw this cute light blue dress over at CB a week ago! It is one of the fannnnciest dresses I've seen in my life!!!!! It cost around $400 but I saved up enough money in my babysitting fund to pay it off!! I'm going to pay for it tomorrow!! I can't ..... wait!!!!!" Kim explained in a fast-paced manner before almost collapsing her head on the table. "Do you think Ron would find me attractive in that dress, Bonnie?"

"Sure, Kim." Bonnie smiled, "You and Ron will be the talk of the town!! I can't wait to go to the formal as well if ........ someone ....... would ......... go .... out .... with ... me." Her excitement faded away when she uttered those words. She stared into the cloudy sky, wishing for that someone .... that perfect boyfriend.

Tara wondered what was going on, so Kim had to tell her that the Winter Formal was coming up. Once she was updated, she envisioned the moment of Josh Mankey kissing her on the gym floor. She was lucky to be a free woman.

Kim was about to continue on with the light-hearted chatter of the formal when she turned her head to her parents. Ann sighed over the fact that her pendant, the very treasure that she shared with James, was still missing.

"Oh, man! What am I going to do?" Kim panicked as she realized that she still had a case to work on. She turned to Tara, "Even though I freed ya from prison, I still don't know who the real culprit is! If there was some .... miracle, some ....."

As she contemplated on the real villian behind the Possible robberies, her Kimmunicator suddenly interrupted her train of thoughts.

_Please, Wade, please pray that the perpetrator of who robbed my family is idenified!!!! _she hoped.

When Wade's face showed up on the Kimmunicator, he was still in the Middleton Convention Center with his laptop.

"Wade, we still have the robbery sitch!! Have you found my mom's pendant, yet and did you find the culprit?" she asked in a worried tone.

"Not ... yet." Wade sadly said.

Kim was bitterly disappointed and sad at the same time and it put a little damper on her cheerful post-game spirits.

Then, Wade gave a glimmer of hope into the Possibles' dismal sitch with the robbery, "But, I did get this .... I finally made a list of all the chemicals that were found on the dead human skin."

Suddenly, Kim's spirits were lifted.

"Really, what did you find?" she asked comfortably, knowing that no criminal has escaped from the prying eyes of a 12-year old computer guru.

"The chemicals in the skin were made up of hydrochloric acid, sodium chloride, a whole variety of other chemicals -- legal and otherwise. But, there are two chemicals that especially drew my attention! One intriguing chemical was something called Chemical Z which has the ability to change a person's normal skin into any one of the 6 billion humans' skin on the earth. This chemical is incredibly difficult to trace because it hasn't been found in any United States government database. The other chemical that I found that drew even more importance was a component called Mixture 1417. To cut down on the scientific terms, it simply grants the person the ability to change fingerprints anytime they want. Again, both of these chemicals are very hard to trace in terms of location, but at least we do know one thing ..... we are one step closer to find your mom's pendant. I'll let you know if I have any other updates." Wade explained his findings to Kim, Bonnie, Ron, and Tara.

"OK, thanks, Wade!" Kim nodded her head as the Kimmunicator screen cut off.

Turning to her two friends and boyfriend, she was now more confused than ever before. "Alright, this case has now reached an 11 on the totally weird scale! I mean who would even inject all those chemicals in the first place?"

"Wouldn't all those chemicals instantly kill someone?" Bonnie wondered, scratching her head. "Even though I suntan twice a week, I would never abuse my body like that!"

Tara was speechless as well when their food arrived.

Even though the case has gone through many twists and turns, the four were glad to hear that there were at least a couple of important developments.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 11:20pm, Monday

Place: Bueno Nacho.

As they concluded their post-game meal, Kim, Bonnie, Ron, and Tara all left Bueno Nacho.

"Good night, B! Don't forget about CB after cheer practice tomorrow!" Kim waved to Bonnie as Wanda picked the young Rockwaller up.

"Night, K! See ya then!" Bonnie smiled back as Wanda's car pulled out of the parking lot.

Then, David and Cecilia's station wagon pulled up into the parking lot. Ron was next to be picked up.

"Well, Ron, I guess I'll see ya in the morning at school." Kim blushingly said. Even the bitter cold couldn't stop the blushing of her cheeks.

"I'll see ya as well, KP, my bon-diggiest girlfriend." Then they shared a brief tender moment together before Ron was picked up by his parents.

When the Possible family returned home, they all went to bed, tired and exhausted from the game.

As Kim climbed into bed, pajama-clad, she was thinking of who would inject all those chemicals just to rob her house of her mother's pendant.

Tonight, with the help of Wade, she has fit another piece of an increasingly complex puzzle.


	111. CB Planout

Time: 11:45pm, Monday

Place: Underground Lab, Leon Mansion

Deep in the lab, Camille was still making her final preparations to frame Caitlin for shoplifiting at Club Banana. She was all alone with a floor-plan of the Club Banana store in the Middleton suburbs.

_Hmmm, if there is one thing I know, it's that Martin Smarty has installed a very sophisticated security system in every single CB location and Country CB around the world. Every time a customer comes out of the store, they are scanned by the detectors to make sure they haven't stolen any CB items. If they do, then the detectors will scan the barcode of the stolen merchandise. It won't emit any sounds but it will send in a 911 call to the local police department along with the information (time, which CB location the stolen merchandise came from, and, most importantly, a photo of the perpetrator who stole the merchandise, for a security camera is placed at the top of each entrance. That way, when the perpetrator is usually caught, Mr. Smarty will usually give the offender a lifetime ban from any CB around the world._

_This is especially useful when Caitlin is going to be caught for shoplifting tomorrow. In order to make sure that she does not come back until the age of 21, I must find the most expensive item in that CB store and put it in her bag before anyone notices that I am there! Luckily, I can just simply use my invisibility power and hide while Caitlin shops. She must be in the perfect position in order for this 'crime' to work perfectly. When the shoplifting framing occurrs, I'll sneak out, still in my invisibility guise. And then .... bye-bye, Caitlin! HAH-HAH-HAH_

_After Caitlin is no more, Kim and Bonnie will be next and this time, it's personal!!!_

She kept her voice to a whisper so that no one could hear.

Dr. Leon knocked on the door to the room. "Camille, my dear, ready to strike against your next enemy tomorrow?" He gave an evil sneer to his nefarious niece.

Camille shook her head in acknowledgement. "Yes, Dr. Leon! My plan is set in motion! By tomorrow, Caitlin will be no more!"

She rubbed her hands together with glee before Dr. Leon motioned her to the elevator.

"Ready, Dr. Leon? The Jeebs persona?" Camille reminded her of Dr. Leon's other job: not to let her parents know about her secret life.

"Of course, Camille." Dr. Leon obeyed as he removed his doctor's jacket to reveal his butler outfit.

As Camille was tucked underneath the covers and after Dr. Leon, now Jeebs, closed the door, she gave an evil chuckle, knowing that the second phase of her devious plan was about to dawn on Caitlin Cooke.


	112. A Bittersweet Dress

Time: 6:45am, Tuesday

Place: Possible Household

The cold chill that was prevalent in last night's game was still present on Tuesday morning. Kim felt it all across her room as she prepared for another uneventful day of school before heading out to Club Banana to buy the dress that she wanted for the Winter Formal. She wanted to look her best for her boyfriend.

But this day was also important for her because the Mad Dogs would have to leave town very late tonight so that they could be prepped up tomorrow for Game 6 to win the series once and for all.

Kim came to the kitchen, all pepped up for today. She twirled around as if she imagined herself with the dress. Then she came to the table where the Tweebs were eating their blueberry pancakes.

James was reading the paper which depicted all of Ron's heroics in Game 5 againsr South Panola.

"Morning, Kimmie-cub!" James said with a gleeful smile across his face. He was holding up the front page of the sports section of the paper. It depicted a photo of the exact moment in which Ron made the game-clinching interception of Deangelo's pass. He then asked "Hey, Kim, do you want the photo of Ron after I'm done with the paper?"

Kim, who wanted to preserve all the memories of her boyfriend's football career, nodded her head excitedly as she sat down to eat her mom's blueberry pancakes as well.

After breakfast was through, she got dressed, packed up, and drove to school. Ann drove her brothers to school behind her.

At school, the first person that Kim met on that fateful day was Ron and both walked into school together, holding hands, ready for another day of learning.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 2:40pm, Tuesday

Place: Middleton Gym

All 21 Mad Dog cheerleaders dressed up in the new road uniforms in the cheerleading dressing room after a long day of studies.

Tara wore her new road uniform for the first time in her life. It was a perfect fit and it felt very comfortable on her. _Fits better than a prison uniform. _she thought.

Kim led the cheer squad out onto the gym floor. All three of the cheering coaches were watching closely at the girls for any foul play for the two-hour practice. They did not want any distractions to happen to them in Batesville like it did last time when Veruca was on the squad.

So, the cheerleaders began their set of cheers:

_M-A-D D-O-G_

_That's how we spell victory!!!!_

Let's go Mad Dogs 

_Let's fight, fight, fight!!!!  
Let's take the series tonight!!!_

As the routine continued on, Mrs. Johnson came up to Kim, reminding her of the time that the Mad Dog players and cheerleaders were leaving tonight.

The other cheerleaders assembled to the coaches for a brief 10-minute break.

"Cheerleaders, Mrs. Johnson has informed me that we are leaving for Batesville at 8:30pm. We aren't going to reach our hotel until 1:00 in the morning." Kim informed the cheerleaders.

Tara then questioned the head cheer coach, "Which hotel are we staying at?"

"Same hotel as last time, the Holiday Inn of Batesville!" Mrs. Johnson stated the hotel that brought so many bad memories to the cheer squad, specifically the Sunday Night Swirlies.

"I get it now!" Crystal remembered what had happened during those events "We would've been banned from the hotel, if it weren't for Kim and Bonnie apprehending Veruca and throwing her to prison where she belongs!"

London shook her head, trying to get rid of the horrible and painful memories that the Swirlies brought her.

Camille, meanwhile, gave a simple sneer, _I really did want to see that butthole Veruca off the team as well. London left that damn video camera on purpose to seal her fate. In the end though, it will not matter to me! I will get that captain position once Kim and Bonnie will be behind bars. And I've got Carm and Sandi to help me. _

Kim then clapped her hands, signaling the resuming of practice. She was unaware of the series of storms coming towards her.

After two hours of an exhausting but much-needed cheer practice, Kim gained the approval of all three coaches to end practice at quarter to 5.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 4:45pm, Tuesday

Place: Middleton Cheerleading Dressing Room.

As all of the cheerleaders changed from their road uniforms back into their regular clothes, Bonnie and Kim walked together in front of the school where they planned to buy the dresses that they wanted for the formal at Club Banana. They would meet up with Sharpay, Caitlin, and Bebe in front of the school.

"Ready to shop until we drop, B?" Kim asked out loud the famous expression. Her red hair still felt the sting of the cold weather.

Bonnie flipped her brunette hair, nodded her head and just laughed. "Yeah, K, we're more than ready!"

Then, Sharpay arrived in her car along with Caitlin in the front seat and Bebe in the back.

Kim and Bonnie got in and the five girls drove off to their most favorite high-end store in the world.

Unfortunately, one traitorous cheerleader was not far behind them. In fact, she was hot on their trail.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Time: 5:00pm

Place: front of Middleton High

The cold winds still blew through Camille's blonde hair as her limo pulled up with Dr. Leon driving. The treacherous cheerleader was all alone in front of the school.

Camille snickered as she entered into the limo, waiting for the right moment to strike against Caitlin.

"Ready for the next phase of your plan to begin?" Dr. Leon seethingly asked through his snake-like eyes.

"Hah-hah, Yes!!" Camille replied as she tented her fingers. _Time for Phase 2 of my plan to be put into action!!! _


	113. Caitlin's Endgame

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jen Masterson or Nikki Wong of 6teen**

Time: 5:30pm, Tuesday

Place: Club Banana

The car containing Sharpay and her friends finally arrived at Club Banana. They had three hours to shop before they leave Middleton High to go to Batesville.

______________________________________________________________________________

Before they left, Mrs. Johnson also told the cheerleaders that the district will declare a day off for Wednesday and Thursday for Game 6 and, if the series extended to a game 7, Friday for the cheerleaders and the football players.

______________________________________________________________________________

Kim, Bonnie, Sharpay, Bebe, and Caitlin looked at the masses of crowds that were coming in and out of the high-end store. It was the beginning of the Christmas holidays and the store was having a 30%-off sale on everything. They were on the lower-level entrance of the two-storied building.

All the girls could do was just to stare at that sign in paralyzed amazement and excitement when they walked through the doors.

"Girls, this is ......." Kim began the sentence as she dropped her jaw.

".....the best moment......" Bonnie continued on. Her jade eyes were wide open as they scanned across the entire store of students from Middleton High descending upon the merchandise.

"..... of our lives!!!!" Sharpay finished the sentence.

Then she motioned with her finger to gather up the girls for the plan to shop for the dresses for the Winter Formal.

-

"Girls, we have three hours between now and Batesville. Let's find our dresses for the Formal, eat a quick dinner at the food court for CB is right next to the mall and meet at the front by 7:00! That way, we still have a hour and a half before we leave! Allright! Let's GO!!!!!!!

All of the girls split up as they looked for the dresses.

Not knowing what was going on behind them, Camille's limosine approached the parking lot. Inside, the deb was preparing to strike against Caitlin.

Dr. Leon gave her a stop-watch with the letter "L" on it.

"It's, like, an ordinary stop watch, Dr. Leon. What's so special about it?" Camille wondered as she looked at the buttons on the side of the watch. Curiously, she pressed one of the buttons and it emitted a beep to the limosine.

"I take it that you found the call button to the limosine. Press the button once if you successfully framed Caitlin and press twice if you failed to frame her." Dr. Leon explained to Camille the uniqueness of this particular stopwatch. Then he asked about the trip, "Now, you also told me that you will be leaving to go to Batesville at 8:30?"

"Yes, sir." Camille answered. She gave the doctor her shoes as he injected the red gel into the soles.

"So, you will have to strike quick and fast. If those anti-theft sensors go off at Club Banana and that you aren't out here in 20 minutes, for that's the timeframe between the moment the sensors go off and the moment the cops arrive, then our plan is done for. If you want to strike against Caitlin," Dr. Leon warned to Camille as he drove up to the store entrance. "now would be the perfect time to do it!"

Camille, now with her shoes on, nodded her head as she closed the door to the limo. She casually walked in as a regular customer. Through her mind, she wanted to make sure that everything worked perfectly.

______________________________________________________________________________

Caitlin was searching for that one perfect dress to make her night come true. She searched both levels of the huge store for any dress that fit her.

After 15 minutes, she approached a rack in the dress section, which was next to the women's dressing rooms. She finally came upon a very beautiful medium-length black sleeveless dress that was beautifully decorated. It was adorned with a yellow sash at the waist. Caitlin first looked at the tag for the size. It was a small, perfect for her figure. Then she came down to the bottom of the dress where the price tag was.

She gasped at first at the front of the price tag: $400.

"How am I going to pay for the dress?!?!?" Caitlin panicked at the price tag. "Ohhhhh.... how can I--?

Then she flipped to the back of the price tag and breathed a sigh of relief as the price was lowered to $275.

"Well, that's a good bargin!" the blonde teen smiled as she picked out the dress. She wanted to celebrate by perking up her lips with her lucky lip gloss. Caitlin searched throughout her purse for the lip gloss but it was nowhere to be found.

Then she slapped her head! Caitlin realized, to her dismay, that she left it in Sharpay's car. She was hesitant at first though, because the sparkles on on the dress made her weak at the knees.

Finally, she took a deep breath and came to a solution: She would buy the dress first and then come back for the lip gloss.

Caitlin first went to the checkout and bought the dress with her own credit card. Incidentally, working at the register was none other than Monique.

"Hey, Caitlin!" Monique welcomed her favorite customer, "Ready for the Winter Formal?"

"Yeah, Monique, but I have to get my lip gloss!" Caitlin squirmed "I cannot live without my lip gloss!!!"

Monique just sighed and said, "Whatever!"

Then, she went through the sliding doors to the parking lot. The anti-theft sensors that Martin Smarty installed scanned the code and her receipt and she was clean. Remembering that Sharpay made keys for her friends for anytime that they forget their valuable goods in her vehicle, she came up to the car. She then put the right key into the front driver door and opened it and unlocked the rest of the vehicle.

Searching through the vehicle, she finally spotted her favorite lip gloss on the floor of the back seat. Hugging it briefly, she put it back in the purse and headed back to Club Banana, where she planned to converse with a few of her friends.

Then she went back to the area where she first bought the black sleeveless dress near the dressing rooms. and came upon a couple of her friends: Nikki Wong and Jen Masterson.

______________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Camille continued to casually walk, but still kept her eyes peeled out for any sign of Caitlin. She was on the upper level, simply browsing through the perfume and fragrance department when something caught her eye. It was Caitlin, always present with the pink butterfly bow in her hair.

Camille transfixed her glare upon her. She studied all of Caitlin's moves as the young blonde cheerleader on the lower level walked on over to the rack where the black sleeveless dresses were as she began to converse with Nikki and Jen. She walked back downstairs, waiting to strike at the perfect moment.

______________________________________________________________________________

Caitlin began her talk with Nikki and Jen with some gossip.

"So now I was completely falling in love with, like, this transfer student," Caitlin began in earnest before going into a sad mood, "but he broke up with me!!!!"

"No way!!!!" Jen exclaimed crazily "What was he like?"

"He was, so like ...." Caitlin said as Nikki joined in with the gossip conversation that was getting way too difficult to understand.

Caitlin was so caught up in her conversation that she failed to notice Camille walking along.

Caitlin was leaning her bag against the rack of the similar sleeveless black dresses with the yellow sashes as she talked along.

Meanwhile, Camille seemed to head to the women's dressing room. With a twitch of her right eye, she noticed the CB bag holding in Caitlin's hand leaning against the rack. This gave her another idea in her head.

She went to the women's dressing room and, upon seeing that no one was in there, went into a nearby stall. The deb immediately used her powers and made herself completely invisible before she crawled out of the narrow space of the stall. As a customer walked into the dressing room, Camille tiptoed out, not making a sound at all. She sneaked and crawled into the dress rack and sat on the railing of the rack ---- right where Caitlin was standing, huge bag exposed and all. Overhearing their conversation, Camille stuck her tongue out to express her disgust over boyfriends. She didn't want to listen to all of Caitlin's concerns and rubbish.

On the floor, Camille noticed a discarded black dress with the golden sash on the floor. She didn't want to see that dress go to waste. Then, also using the same shapeshifting abilties that put Tara behind bars, she changed her fingerprints to Caitlin's, picked up the dress and lightly put it in Caitlin's bag, It landed upon her already-bought black dress.

As Jen and Nikki left Caitlin behind, she looked at the watch on her cell phone: 6:30pm. Realizing that she had little time left before the girls leave to go to the school, she decided to text them, just to let them know that she was going to wait outside.

_Kim, Bonnie, Sharpay, Bebe_

_I'm going to wait outside to meet y'all._

_  
Thanks & Hugs & Kisses_

_Caitlin_

Caitlin closed her cell after sending the message.

She then prepared to walk out of CB as she passed through the anti-theft scanners. They scanned the barcode of the black dress that she bought but it also scanned the barcode of the stolen black dress as well. Even though it did not emit a sound, it did automatically send a signal to the police department that someone was shoplifting from Club Banana. The security camera above even snapped a picture of Caitlin as well.

At the police department, Officer Hobble was taking a coffee break when he caught sight of that picture of what appears to be Caitlin shoplifting from the Club Banana.

Instantly spitting out his coffee, he went to his police radio and called out the police units to put out an arrest warrant against Caitlin for shoplifting.

______________________________________________________________________________

Camille, still under the invisible guise, crawled out of the rack. She shifted back into her original fingerprints and then spotted the nearby dressing room. Again, she chose an empty stall and made herself visible again. She walked out of the room and went to the upstairs entrance of the store. The deb pressed the button on her stopwatch once.

Soon enough, her limosine appeared with Dr. Leon driving. Camille entered the vehicle and the limo casually drove off and went back onto the highway. As they drove away, Camille saw the police cars, wailing their sirens, heading towards to the direction of the mall.

It was all the indication that she needed that her plan to pin Caitlin for shoplifting at the CB ended in a complete success

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 6:50 pm, Tuesday

Location: Food Court

As the four girls finished up their food and threw away the rubbish, they were chatting what should be included in the Winter Formal because they were on the Party Council. They have already bought their dresses.

"So, girls, when do y'all want the streamers to come down during the dance and what colors should they be?" Bebe asked the girls, for she was head of the Council.

"Hmmm...." Bonnie stroked the tip of her chin before raising her eyebrows. "How about ..... adding in the MHS colors of purple and gold?"

"With beautiful white expensive glitter!" Sharpay implied with a smile.

"Perfect, it's settled then!" Kim concluded before she felt the cell phone in her purse vibrate.

All of the girls took out the cell phones and read Caitlin's message, telling them to meet outside.

They went through Club Banana to get to the lower level exit and ........

.... found Caitlin, outside of the store, surrounded by cop cars.

All four of the girls, plus a few passerbys and CB employees, stood in frozen terror as they witnessed one of the most beloved customers getting handcuffed in the back and being read her rights. Kim could tell that Caitlin was crying, judging from the tears that she was emitting from her dried-up mascara.

Monique, observing all this from her work station, got out a box of tissues and cried. She knew what would happen to customers when they shoplift from Club Banana: the dreaded lifetime ban by Martin Smarty himself.

Kim, Bonnie, Sharpay, and Bebe watched helplessly as Caitlin was placed into the cop cruiser.

Bad luck continued to strike against the cheerleaders.


	114. Condensation Hearts

Time: 7:00pm, Tuesday

Place: Club Banana

All four girls dropped the CB bags containing their Formal dresses at the same time.

"I-I can't believe it!" Kim exasperated as the police car carried away the arrested Caitlin.

"Caitlin, she's ---- she's ....." Bonnie stuttered at the sheer loss of words.

".....she's gone!" Sharpay said in a dry and hoarse voice.

Kim then walked on over to Officer Hobble, whom was studying the crime scene.

"What happened, Officer?" Kim asked with her voice quivering.

"I-I'm sorry, Kim. Caitlin Cooke has just been arrested for shoplifting ...... this!" Hobble's Brogue accent was in a depressing mood as he held up, gloves on, the sole reason of her arrest: the sleeveless black dress with the gold sash that she didn't buy.

Kim was still dumbstruck as she returned to the counter where Monique worked.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Two Mad Dog cheerleaders in just five days! WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS?!?!?!?!?!" Bebe whined as she yelled out that last statement so loud that everyone in the store stopped what they were doing.

Kim then went to Monique in order to try and cheer her up. The sitch had now shifted from Tara to that of Caitlin. As Monique continued to cry into her arms, she pulled out the Kimmunicator.

Wade appeared on-screen while happily typing on the computer. He was sipping on an energy drink to celebrate the fact that their house was now termite-free.

"Hey, Kim! What seems to be-----" Wade said with a smile before noticing the terrified look across Kim's face. Then he realized that something has just gone terribly wrong. "Oh no! Don't tell me----"

"Caitlin has been arrested, Wade!!!! For shoplifting at the CB!!!!" Kim screamed through the Kimmunicator. Then she took several deep breaths before coming back on-screen again in Wade's presence, while still holding a crying Monique.

Wade spat out what he was sipping on in the garbage can before returning.

"Wade, something wrong has been going on in our squad the last few days! First Tara and now Caitlin? It's like someone has a grudge against us." Kim explained the newest layer in her sitch.

"Hmmm, it doesn't seem right at all!! Caitlin, like Tara, is a good girl: straight A's, goes to church. I-I don't know what could cause this crime to happen!" the computer guru scratched his head confusingly. Then, he remembered a similar conversation to Kim a few days ago when Tara was still behind bars.

Suddenly, something familiar popped into his memory. "Unless she was ........ "

"........framed!!!!" Kim finished up his sentence. She was thinking that as well.

"Like what we did with Tara?" Kim cheered up a bit with a wink in her eye.

"I'll start analyzing the police evidence once it becomes available to me." Wade said as a smile came across his face once again, then reminded Kim. "And don't you have a football series to cheer?" He displayed the time clock on the Kimmunicator's HUD: 7:20pm.

Kim immediately gasped at this as Bonnie, Bebe, and Sharpay came to her.

"We gotta get to the school parking lot, quick!!!" Sharpay exclaimed. "We don't wanna be late for the trip to Batesville!"

"And Kim, one other thing ....... about your mother's pendant......" Wade

"Yes?" Kim asked with a beaming and hopeful smile on her face, hoping that the guru has finally pinpointed the location of the pendant.

"I am still unable to find it! I mean, I have searched almost everywhere in the Middleton / Hattiesburg area but there seems to be no trace of it anywhere. It's like it has disappeared off the face of the earth, but I'll still find it ........... I promise." Wade sadly said as he lowered his head.

"Thanks..... Wade." Kim whispered as the Kimmunicator went back to the logo.

The red-haired captain's spirits sank as she stared down at the floor.

Then, she looked at Monique, whom was still choking on sobs of her tears. Acting quickly, she made a promise.

Kim spoke softly to her, "Monique, I promise that we will free Caitlin from Juvie Hall."

"I......I hope Mr. Smarty doesn't give Caitlin the you-know-what from CB!" Monique bawled out the reminder of what happens to customers when they get the banhammer from the owner of all the CBs.

Monique, now feeling only a little bit better, checked out of her three-hour shift but still couldn't get the arrest of Caitlin out of her mind.

Kim and the rest went back to Sharpay's car, hoping that this unfortunate incident would not affect the football team in any way.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 8:00pm, Tuesday

Place: Middleton High Gym Parking Lot

Ron paced up and down the sidewalk as the hum of the charter buses continued to echo throughout the night. He was starting to get very nervous about what he was going to wear for the Formal.

He still had yet to choose that perfect tuxedo that even Kim would be impressed with.

The cold weather was also making things even worse, for lows were going to be in the mid-30s for tonight and cloudy.

And forecasts were predicting temperatures in the upper-20s at kickoff time in Tiger Country.

To add to his pressures and the weather, there was still the football series and with Game 6 tomorrow night up in Batesville. The Mad Dogs were going to count on everything they have on Ron and on the other 86 active players if they want to come out of Game 6 with a win.

Suddenly, another topic was overtaking the minds of all the football players, cheerleaders, parents, and booster club members alike: Caitlin arrest at Club Banana. Gossip and the news was spreading around like wildfire that the sweet blonde cheerleader was now a thief. As Ron's ears picked up the events that befell on poor Caitlin, he was starting to sweat and perspirate all over his face. His breaths became heavier and felt like all this pressure was just too much for an all-star tailback.

Rufus suddenly popped out of his pants pocket and, noticing that his owner was preparing to crack, found the washcloth that he used to keep warm from the cold. He scurried on over to the nearest water-hose at the school. The mole rat turned the faucet on and let the hot water soak the cloth before returning it to Ron.

"Thanks, Rufus!" he said with a sigh of relief as he rubbed his brow clean of the sweat.

"Welcome, Ron!" Rufus squeaked before tugging at his shirt. He pointed out at his cell phone, notifying that Kim was calling him up.

Ron picked up the call.

_K: Ron! We have a serious problem going on here!_

R: I know, KP! The Ron-man's weird meter is going off the charts! First Tara and now Caitlin? And just now, KP, rumors are spreading around that Caitlin's a thief and other stuff like that!

K: This sitch just keeps getting out of control. We have to find the perpetrator before she strikes again! Ron? Ron!!

_R: It must be some sort of government conspiracy, KP ......._

_K: Ron!!! Snap out of it!!! My mom's pendant is also still missing! Wade's doing his best but ........._

_R: But????_

K: He's still ........... unable to find it. I mean I don't get it. Wade has cameras installed in everything all around Middleton and the Hattiesburg area. It's very hard that something as rare and valuable as that pendant could just simply disappear off the face of the earth. Still, he's not giving up ...... and I'm not giving up either!!! 

_R: Boo-yah!!!!!! THAT'S the spirt, KP!!!! See ya in a few minutes!!!!_

He ended the call and, just as expected, Sharpay's car drove up with Kim, Bonnie, and Bebe as its' occupants.

______________________________________________________________________________

The three charter buses that would hold all of the Mad Dog players and the four cheerleading vans were still being loaded as Camille's limosine drove up.

Knowing that the second phase of her plan was in the books as a success, she now concentrated the third and most deviant final phase of her plan: use her shapeshifting and invisible powers against both Kim and Bonnie.

_Now that Caitlin will enjoy the ideal conditons of Juvie Hall and that Tara would face trial, all that remains for me to do is to cut off the lion's head, by which I mean Kim, and send her off to prison. She will no longer be a threat to me!!!!_

Camille activated a button on the control panel to open up the trunk and loaded her bags into one of the cheering vans.

______________________________________________________________________________  
Kim came out of Sharpay's vehicle. Both she and Ron came up to each other and kissed each other. They were happy to see each other and provided a sense of warmth amongst the cold of the weather and the lying gossip about Caitlin.

The cheer captain then walked down to the charter buses with her ever-loving boyfriend.

"Ron, Wade is looking into everything that went down at CB so that Caitlin will hopefully be released from prison. The perpetrator seems to be an expert into framing people. Once I find out who she is, _she'll_ be the one that deserves to be behind bars, not my friends. And I have Bonnie and you, my Ron, to thank for helping me."

"Awww.... shucks, KP! It's what partners and friends do, help out each other. That's what makes Team Possible totally unbeatable!" Ron said with a light blush on his cheeks.

"Well, Ron, I'll hopefully see ya tomorrow because ...... y'all are going to Grenada, right?" Kim asked where the team was staying for the next few nights.

Ron sighed, "Yeah, KP, it'll be like our first trip to Tiger Country."

"Anyways, you have the whole team and Mad Dog Nation bhind your back and, most importantly, ...... you have me cheering by your side." Kim reminded him that Ron was not alone in the football series.

"Ohhhh yeah!!!!!! The Ron-man has his bon-diggiest girlfriend by her side!!!!" Ron exclaimed as his spirits soared in the cold weather. He gave another long-lasting kiss before carrying his away number 7 jersey and chucked it into the underbelly of the middle charter bus.

______________________________________________________________________________

Bonnie was unloading her bags from Sharpay's car and prepared to load them into the second cheer bus when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head around and immediately recognized the handsome face of Senior Senior Junior.

"Hello, my Bonnie, how is it with the doing?" Junior asked for her concerns.

Bonnie gave a deep sigh, "Not good, Junior. Another one of our fellow cheerleaders got arrested tonight for shoplifting, the second in five days. And K's mom's anniversary pendant is still missing."

"I have of the hearing of this missing pendant from Kim Possible's mother. But I will also be helping to find it!" Junior beamed as he gave his multimillion-dollar smile.

"Oh, thank you, thank you soooooooo much, Junior! We need all the help we can get in order to find that pendant!!!!"

"You are of the welcoming, my super-sexy Bonnie!!!" Junior welcomed the compliment as he gave a very big hug to the brunette vixen. "And I can't wait to see you cheering of the Mad Dogs!!!"

"Oh, you will enjoy my cheering, my hottie!!!" Bonnie tantalizingly said to the internation pop sensation. "Well, I'll see you in Batesville and I assure you ....... you'll be entertained!" She snicked as the two shared their very first kiss in the cold weather.

"And do you of the having of a jacket, my hot goddess? It is getting pretty cold here!" Junior asked as he felt his teeth chattering.

"Sure I do!" Bonnie smiled as she zipped open the compartment for a spare jacket for Junior. It was a perfect fit for him.

"I'll see you later, my Junior." Bonnie called out as she boarded one of the cheer buses

"See you, my sexy Bonnie!" Junior responded back.

The two were meant for destiny.

______________________________________________________________________________

The charter buses prepared to depart from the high school. Ron reclined back in the seat before noticing his girlfriend down below.

She gave a blow of a kiss to him, Ron stood from his seat and caught Kim's air kiss and putting it in his pocket. Then, to return his love for Kim, he blew on the charter bus window. The cold air created a canvas of condensation. He then drew the image of a heart on the condensed charter bus window.

Kim was touched by his display of love. Then she heard the hydraulics of the charter bus hiss, which meant that the Mad Dogs football team was going on that four-hour bus ride back to Batesville ---- the home of the legendary South Panola Tigers ---- to pull offye one of the most unthinkable and impossible upsets in all of the annals of sports history.

Both Team Possible members waved good-bye to each other. Rufus was waving his hanky on Kim's shoulder.

All three charter buses left the parking lot.

Then, Mrs. Newman signaled to the remainder of the cheerleaders that it was time for them to go as well.

"See you in Batesville, Rufus." Kim said as she hugged the little Rufus.

"See you, Kim." Rufus squeaked in his small voice before Kim parted ways with the naked mole-rat to join with her fellow cheerleaders in one of the cheer buses.

Rufus waved goodbye with his hankie as all four cheer buses left the lot.


	115. Strange Connections

Time: 9:00pm, Tuesday

Place: on the charter bus

Ron still looked on from the charter bus window at the endless rows of pine trees in the night. The buses were traveling from town to town, village to village, on Highway 49. He sighed at the drawn condensation heart that he made for Kim. Still keeping the mental image of his love for her, the running back toook out his harmonica and played a light blues tune for a few minutes.

He then put the instrument back in the bag and closed his eyes, hoping to concentrate all of energy and mad running skills for Game 6 tomorrow night against South Panola.

By the time they reached the Days Inn in Grenada, the same hotel that they stayed for Games 1 and 2, the Mad Dog players and coaches immediately went to bed.

Coach Barkin knew that he, his coaching staff, and his players will have a long day tomorrow.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 9:30pm, Tuesday

Place: Bus Number 1, where Kim is

Kim was thinking of Ron and the imprisoned Caitlin as well when she slid the harmonica through her mouth for a brief time as she looked out into the pitch-black cloudy sky.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders fell fast asleep on the cheer buses when they got to Jackson. Even Kim was resting her head on the plastic paneling. She had set the Kimmunicator to vibrating mode so that when it buzzes, she wouldn't disturb the other cheerleaders.

Even Bonnie herself was sound asleep, listening to her iPod with tunes from Avril Lavigne and MC Honey. She slept with a smile across her face because she has finally found her pefect date to the Winter Formal ---- Senor Senior Junior.

Still, all was peaceful when the buses went from Highway 49 to Interstate 55.

Then she felt the vibrating of the Kimmunicator from her pajamas pocket. It was Wade!

Knowing that the Mad Dog cheerleaders were all snoozing, both Wade and Kim kept their conversation down to an audible whisper.

"Go ahead, Wade!" Kim whispered softly through the Kimmunicator.

"I've analyzed the entire store of Club Banana. Martin Smarty really did his homework with the security cameras and everything." Wade said quietly as he continued to clack on the keys. "But he didn't cover ...... the floor!"

Wade then zoomed in his cameras to where Caitlin was last seen ------ the rack where they kept the black dresses in. Kim then looked at the contents of the floor in that one area and noticed something ........ similar.

"Once again, my heat sensors picked up a pair of size 5 footprints similar to those found in the robbery of your house last Friday and that's not all I found. Recognize these chemicals from the Tara incident? Chemical Z and Mixture 1417?"

"The same chemicals that were found at my house!" Kim exclaimed quietly with a wide-open look and raised eyebrow, indicating that they were one step closer to breaking open the case. "So, in other words, whoever robbed my house, stole my mom's jewels, and framed Tara ................."

".......... is also the same person who framed Caitlin for shoplifting!" Wade finished up Kim's sentence.

"That's spankin', Wade!!!!!" Kim said with a quiet smile. "Still, it is quite a strange connection that whoever did both of these incidents must be quite .... desperate for attention. Anyways, can you keep me up to date if anything pops up?" She then asked, knowing the thief was still out there, somewhere.

"Sure thing, Kim! Wade out." Wade said his farewells with a salutation gesture to her before the Kimmunicator returned to the logo.

Kim then put the Kimmunicator back in her bag, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 12:40am, Wednesday.

Location: Batesville, Mississippi.

After a long four and a half hour drive from Middleton High, Tara rubbed open her eyes --- as she stared at the "Welcome to Batesville: Home of the South Panola Tigers.", a very grim reminder of whom they were going to face up against tomorrow night in Game 6, the nation's best high school football team. They were just one win away from pulling off an upset that many people believed would never happen at all.

But when she heard the recent events that happened with Caitlin's arrest spreading among cheerleaders, football players, and parents alike, Tara felt like that the team was going to be distracted from its main goal.

The team finally reached their hotel, the Holiday Inn of Batesville ....... the very same hotel where Veruca met her final demise with the events of the Sunday Night Swirlies. When Kim, Bonnie and all of the Mad Dog cheerleaders woke up, it felt like that they were seeing deja vu.

In bus two, Camille smirked to herself as it parked underneath the hotel's overhang. As she loaded her bags, she kept this ominous thought in her head: _Kim and Bonnie shall meet the same demise in this hotel as Veruca once did! And that cheer captain positon and her boyfriend will be all mine ........ forever!!!!!!!!!_

She also smirked at the fact that her happy cheerleader charade was working and that the head cheerleader, the very crime-fighting superagent that all Middleton, the nation, and Global Justice was counting on, didn't even notice that she was behind the framings of two of her very best friends and that she and Bonnie would be her final obstacles to her primary goal.

Kim didn't know that a Judas Iscariot was among her group, ready to stab her in the back at any time.


	116. Change of Plans

Time: 7:30am, Wednesday

Place: Holiday Inn of Batesville

The noisy hum of the air conditioner aroused Kim and Bonnie from their slumber in their new assigned room, 217. Both cheerleaders were taken in with familiar settings. This was the same hotel that Veruca met her unfortunate end. Now, with Game 6 looming on the horizon, the cheerleaders were more than ready to lead their fans to victory, if they could just concentrate on the series rather than Caitlin's recent arrest.

"Uhhhh, K! It feels like I've been knocked out by a bag of wet concrete!" Bonnie warily exclaimed as she rubbed her head. It had been a long and eventful 12 hours for the tan-skinned cheerleader.

"Let's go down to the restaurant and get some breakfast, B. We're going to need all the energy we can get for tonight!" Kim replied with a smile. She was still shaking her head over the fact that this unknown crook was responsible for both her parent's jewelry heist and the Club Banana shoplifting incident with Caitlin.

Bonnie nodded her head as the two went downstairs to the on-site restaurant.

The cheerleaders ate breakfast at the hotel's resturant and prepared to change.

Kim and Bonnie returned to their room to change into their brand-new road uniforms that London introduced to. The two cheerleading allies completed their outfits by putting their Mad Dog ribbons to tie back their hair and they put on their athletic shoes.

Both twirled around in their new uniforms, whose long sleeves would help protect against any inclement weather.

"Speaking of weather, let's see what the weather is going to be at kickoff time before we go down to the hotel lobby," Bonnie asked when she clicked on the hotel TV with the remote.

It said the following:

_The low tonight will be around 29 and cloudy. The high tomorrow will be 42 as clouds will still remain......_

The two went out of the room as Bonnie clicked off the TV and headed downstairs, along with Kim.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Location: Room 310 (Camille's room)

Camille, with a full plate of fruit behind her, got ready in her new road uniform as well. There was no other roommate with her.

Before she left for Batesville, Dr. Leon instructed to her to bring the stopwatch, the same one that she used in her successful attempt of putting Caitlin behind bars. He also pointed out another component of the stopwatch: a communicator that she can get in touch between Batesville or wherever Camille was and the Underground Lab in the Leon Mansion.

So before she went down to the lobby, her communicator component rang on her stopwatch, indicaing that the demented doctor wanted to have a chat with his vile niece.

Camille picked it up and Dr. Leon's face came on-screen.

"Like, good morning, Uncle Gervis!" Camille excitedly welcomed the voice of her favorite family member.

"Morning, my niece!" Dr. Leon greeted her through the stopwatch. "Ready to take down Kim Possible once and for all?"

The mastermind of two successful framings gave her evil smile and shook her head, indicating a 'yes'.

Then, the evil smile was wiped off from his face when he gave a profile on her primary enemy.

"Kim Possible willl not be easy to take down at all. She is skilled in 16 styles of kung-fu, is a part of Global Justice; has foiled the likes of Dr. Drew Lipsky (aka Drakken), Duff Killigan, Prof. Dementor, and the like; and is extremely intelligent." Dr. Leon gave her the informed details before being cut off by Camille.

She slapped her head across her face, "Like, duh!!!!! I know what Kim can do! She's the one who took down that butthole Veruca a couple of Fridays ago, remember? And I can't fight her head on!" Camille reminded the uncle who gave her all of her powers the obvious.

Dr. Leon understood that Camille wasn't ready to take down a cheerleading captain like Kim face-to-face. He scratched his chin for any ideas that could give the ex-heiress an edge.

An idea came to his head, but it would also mean that Camille would have to risk giving away the secret of her powers.

"You know the other two cheerleaders that y'all were with at the time of the Swirlies, Carmelita Spats and Sandi Griffin?"

"Yeah, Dr. Leon. They are, like, the strongest cheerleaders on the squad and the only two friends that I have. What are you trying to ------" Camille replied before realizing the true evil behind this.

"We have a change of plans into sending both Kim Possible and Bonnie Rockwaller to Juvie Hall! You are going to have to reveal both your shapeshifting and invisibility powers ...... to both Carmelita and Sandi!" Dr. Leon revealed the shift in the the scheme of things. It was the only way of giving his niece a victory over both Kim and Bonnie. He understood that there were high stakes involves, but knows that its rewards would pay off in the end.

_Hmmmmm...... maybe if I reveal my powers to those two brutes, I can finally kick Kim and Bonnie's asses and finally win the captainship, and steal Ron's heart, faster than I thought!!!_

The shapeshifting cheerleader then gave the go-ahead with the latest development in her plans. "I'll reveal my powers to them very late tonight, after Game 6 is finished!"

"Yes!!" Dr. Leon exclaimed before letting the only Leon daughter off with a warning. "Make sure that you reveal your powers to only those two cheerleaders that I specified to you: Carmelita and Sandi. If anyone else gives away your abilities, our plan is shot. In conclusion, Uncle Gervis wishes you a good luck on your plan ..... and your cheering for game six." Dr. Leon ended his transmission before the screen cut to black.

Camille, now knowing what she had to do, went downstairs to meet up with the other cheerleaders.


	117. In the Tigers' Den

Time: 9:00am, Wednesday

Place: Hotel Lobby.

All 20 cheerleaders gathered in the lobby of the hotel. They were displaying their complete Mad Dog pride with the flashy new uniforms and the giant golden pom-poms. "GO MAD DOGS" spirit temporary tattoos glanced their cheeks.

They showed signs that the Mad Dogs were ready to take on, and beat, the number one team in the nation, once and for all.

Yet, there were also signs that the cheer squad was suffering from a lot of pain due to Caitlin's arrest. She provided moral support for when they were down but now, it was a huge void for the cheerleaders to fill.

Mrs. Johnson gave the plan-out for the whole day. They were going to practice cheering for two hours at the South Panola gym; break for lunch and then set up everything for the upcoming Game 6.

The four buses carried all of the cheerleaders and head cheer coaches to the Tigers' gym.

______________________________________________________________________________

Once Kim took in the sights of the gym, she felt an awful feeling. The confident smile that she wore on her face was suddenly wiped away. This was the same gym that Veruca licked Kim's tears when she stood on the very precipise of expulsion from the squad from that "illegal" cheer in Game 1. A whole flood of bad memories came rushing back to her: Veruca's evil laugh when she revealed the dreaded pink slip with the black spot in her face and the feel of that bland tongue across her cheek as she absorbed every single one of those tears.

She tried her best to block those dark thoughts out of her mind as she began the routine for the cheerleaders on their opponent's floor.

"LET'S GO MAD DOGS!!!!!  
LET'S FIGHT!! FIGHT!! FIGHT!!

LET'S GO MAD DOGS!!!

WIN THE GAME TONIGHT!!!

M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N

LET'S FIGHT!! LET'S WIN!!!!"

Kim led the way in the routines. The cheers helped eased the pain of that awful memory of Veruca as it faded away into oblivion. She had bigger things on her plate to deal with: like cheering for Game 6 and trying to find out who framed her two cheering friends, one of which is still behind bars.

______________________________________________________________________________

While the cheerleaders were taking their lunch break, Camille was eating her sandwich when she saw the two most muscular cheerleaders on the squad, Sandi Griffin and Carmelita Spats, at the bottom of the bleachers.

_How should I tell them about my powers? I mean, I do want to get rid of Kim and Bonnie from the squad but should I take the risk of exposing my secrets to two people? I loved the idea of having my powers to be kept to myself! Perhaps I should rethink what Dr. Leon said about bringing Carm and Sandi into the fold of my plans when Game 6 is over._

She contemplated about it for five minutes before deciding that it would, indeed, be best to reveal her powers to both Carm and Sandi after Game 6, later tonight.

______________________________________________________________________________

"K? You have any updates on the shoplifting case with Caitlin?" Bonnie asked Kim while taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Sure I do, B!" Kim stated as she swalled another portion of her food. She took out her Kimmunicator to display the findings that Wade and her shared last night: the similarity of the size 5 footprints and the two chemicals that were found at both the Possible household and the chemicals that were found in Club Banana.

As the details were revealed to her, the brunette gasped.

"B, we're dealing with the same thief! The person who robbed my house, stole my mom's pendant and framed Tara in the process is also responsible for framing Caitlin for shoplifting at the CB as well!" Kim filled in on the details.

"Hmmmm....... " Bonnie hummed curiously when she threw her trash away, "It's like this crook really loves to throw innocent cheerleaders in jail for no reason at all. Well, if the crook dares to come across you or me, they'll live to regret to hear the names of Kim Possible and Bonnie Rockwaller!!"

Kim nodded her head in agreement.

The rest of the day passed by very fast.

It was now quarter to four and, still, Kim hasn't seen Ron since they left the Middleton High parking. It felt like that she was all alone on a deserted island. She kept on rubbing her hands and blowing into them for any sort of warmth in the 35-degree Batesville winter afternoon. But the warmth that she longed for the most was the warm embrace of Ron, her boyfriend, the one that she was destined to be with.

She was walking along the gravel parking lot near the cheer buses when she heard the rumble of the three buses coming on down Highway 51.

Her heart beated with joy while the buses crawled on the gravel rocks. The Mad Dog players, one by one, came out of the charter buses, wearing their long black sleeves on their road jerseys to brave the elements.

And from the middle charter bus came the familiar blonde-haired boy that carried the number 7 jersey, pads, and his team on his shoulders: Ron Stoppable.

Ron, the first to notice Kim, blew her a simple kiss.

And just like what he normally does, Kim caught the kiss in the air and put it close to her heart.

Then she looked at her watch: 4:15pm and that meant only one thing, it was time to set up everything for the pivotal Game 6.


	118. Pre Game 6

Time: 5:00pm, Wednesday

Place: Robert Dunlap Stadium

Kim prepped up the signs from the cheer vans. With the wind blowing against them, the cheerleaders worked very hard to put them up on the visiting bleachers. They were wanting the Mad Dogs to win Game 6, and get out of Batesville with the MHSAA Golden Trophy in their hands.

Soon, the stadium buzzed to life with activity as fans, both Tiger and Mad Dog, filled in both sides of the stadium. The blue flickering stadium light bulbs of Dunlap Stadium slowly came on.

______________________________________________________________________________

Place: Locker Room

"We will NOT lose this game in front of our fans! We have heart! We have strength! But most of all, we have determination! Now get out there, and win!" Coach Woods yelled out to his players.

They all huddled together as Von Sanford led the way in the team chant. After that was complete, the Tiger players then went out onto the stadium. The homestanding Tiger fans cheered for their team as they came to their side of the field. They did the usual set of pre-game warmups and drills for the next 30 minutes.

______________________________________________________________________________

Place: Visitor's Locker Room

Ron still looked nervous as Barkin made his pre-Game 6 speech. He was worried about the effect of the distraction of Caitlin's arrest on the team, for Caitlin knew a whole lot of the Mad Dog football team as friends and that she helped out in the community.

"Alright, you Mad Dogs. Listen up!!! We have a three game to two lead in the series and we are just 48 minutes away from pulling off one of the greatest UPSETS in all of sports history!!!! And we will not let the Tigers get in the way of our chances of claiming that trophy!!! After we win the game, we will hoist the trophy, up high in the sky, for all of Mad Dog Nation to see your great accomplishments!!!!

But we still must be careful about South Panola!! They will NOT take you lightly and they will throw everything they have!!!!

All of you Middleton players share a bond that can never be broken!!

We act as one team and that way, we shall beat Panola on their turf!!!! Stoppable, lead the way!!!!!"

After the team prayer, Ron, now gaining enough composure for the game, led his team into the Mad Dog Chant.

"Team, we are just one win away from claiming the title!!!!! We gotta stick together!!!! Ready?!?!!

All the players yelled in agreement with their captain.

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)"

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)"

"WHO WE ARE (MAD DOGS)"

(BARKING AND GROWLING NOISES)

1.....2.....3.....

MAD DOGS!!!!!!!

The players and coaches then left the locker room and headed towards the stadium.

Once the Mad Dog players came out of the visitors locker room, the visitor's side was in a bedlam of applause and cheers for their hometown heroes.

Kim took note of the familiar jersey of number 7. She waved her golden pom-poms in the air to root on for the best player on the Mad Dog football team: her boyfriend.

Ron briefly turned her head and waved to Kim.

Both acknowledged their presence in each others' hearts.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 6:30pm

The MHSAA Football Series was carefully being polished, just in case the Mad Dogs won Game 6, by its handlers.

The banners hung determinely in the Batesville cold. The concession stands came to life. Tailgaters cooked their burgers and hot dogs in this 33-degree chilly winter night.

Both marching bands were striking up the music.

South Panola's PA announcer welcomed the overflow crowd of 10,000 for Game 6. The radio announcers broadcasting the South Panola games came up to the Tigers' press box and Middleton's radio announcers came to the visiting press box.

"Welcome, all you Tiger fans our there for Game 6 of the MHSAA Football Series between your homestanding South Panola Tigers and the visiting Mad Dogs of Middleton High. The Mad Dogs lead the series three games to two and defeated South Panola 14-7 at Middleton High in Game 5 on Monday night."

After the PA repeated the sportsmanship procedure and announced the starters, both football teams went back to their respective locker rooms.

While the Tigers' inflatable head was being pumped, Kim, Bonnie, Sharpay, Bebe, Tara, Jessica and Liz got the Mad Dog banner and the school flags ready.

The two teams came out onto the field after the National Anthem was played by the South Panola marching band.

First, Von Sanford made his presence known throughout all of South Panola through a stadium-wise applause. Fire extinguishers were used as impromptu fog machines.

Then the Tigers' PA exclaimed loudly in his microphone, "And here come coach Ricky Woods and your South Panola Tigers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The barrage of cheers, whistles, air-horns, and unaminous applause from the home side extended on into the cloudy and cold night sky. All of South Panola's players went through the inflatable head, one by one and went to their team box. The fight song of the Tigers echoed through the night.

Kim held up the Middleton High School flag up high as the PA then called out through the loudspeakers' in a normal voice. "And here come the Mad Dogs of Middleton High." The Mad Dog players charged through the Middleton banner. Kim raised the MHS flag up high and Bonnie followed behind with the Mad Dog logo flag. The Middleton players made their way to their team box as well. The MHS band welcomed them with the school's fight song as well.

Then the captains for the Tigers: Darius Griffin, Karl Branting, Dudley Dursley, and Jermaine Carr, came to midfield for the coin toss.

They met Middleton's captains: Ron, Vince, TJ, and Ralph, and shook hands with them.

"Middleton, since you are the road team, which side do you choose?" the official holding the coin asked.

TJ, Ralph, Ron, and Vince talked it out before deciding upon heads.

The coin eventually landed on heads and the Mad Dogs chose to defer to the second half, so South Panola would start with the ball first. Middleton also chose to defend the goalline close to the South Panola scoreboard

Then, the kickoff teams lined up. Ron and the Mad Dogs couldn't wait to hoist that trophy once they win the ballgame, but at the same time, South Panola was going to defend their territory and their long-standing football traditions.

Charlie Bucket, the Mad Dog kicker, signaled that his team was ready to kick it off from the Mad Dog 40.

Deangelo and Karl were ready, back to return it.

Charlie kicked the ball off its tee.

Game 6 was now underway.


	119. Game 6 Quarter 1: Road to the Trophy

The ball sailed in the wind from the foot of Charlie and landed in the hands of Karl at the Tiger 1. Karl took the ball to the Tiger 24 for a 23-yard return. Milo Kamalani and Wyatt Williams combined on the special teams stop for Middleton as the Tigers began its first drive on the 24.

--SP ball--

Kim and all of the cheerleaders, minus Caitlin, cheered wildly for the Mad Dogs' defense with their giant pom-poms when they took to the field. They were in the base 4-3 defense while the Tigers were in their usual I-option formation.

On first and 10, Deangelo got the first snap of the game from Dudley and called his own number. He found a good block from Francis Hancock from the left and broke from one tackle. He picked up the first down and was stopped at South Panola's 41 yard-line for a gain of 17 yards. Token Black was given credit with the stop.

Deangelo's run took a few of the Mad Dog faithful by surprise, but Barkin and his coaching staff was still confident that they could stop the Tigers' running game with their mixed defense.

After the speedy QB's run, Deangelo then handed the ball off to his favorite tailback, Darius Griffin and handed it up the middle. Darius fought his way to the Tiger 45 for a 4-yard gain as Chalkey Studebaker and Butters Stotch brought him down to the cold artificial turf for Middleton.

Then, Coach Woods called the next play from his playbook "4 option blast", a handoff to his fullback Evan "T-Claw" Barksdale, on 2nd and 6. Noticing that 11:18 remained on the clock, he motioned the play to his field general. Deangelo understood what his mentor meant and returned to the huddle. With 11 ticks on the play clock, he snapped the ball and gave it to Evan. The Mad Dogs were expecting a run to the sides so they shifted the linebackers to the sides. It turned out to be a huge mistake. Evan blasted through the middle and, following his blocks, outran the entire Mad Dog defense. Ron tried to catch up to him but was unable to do so.

Kim, the cheerleaders, and the Mad Dog fandom watched in horror as they heard the Tigers' PA announcer's words: "AND EVAN IS DOWN TO THE 20, 10, 5....................... TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Evan Barksdale outran the Mad Dog defense for a 55-yard touchdown run on just the third play of the game as the clock stopped with 10:55 remaining. He handed the ball off to the ref.

Ted Thompson booted the extra point through the uprights to give the Tigers a 7 to 0 lead over the Mad Dogs, one minute and five seconds into the game.

The Tigers' fight song played on a joyous tune while Coach Barkin was giving a piece of his mind to his starting defense.

--MID ball--

A bit stunned by the early scoring drive, the Mad Dog team thought that they can get back in the ball-game. Indeed, they do have "Unstoppable" Stoppable on their side.

Coach Woods brought out his kickoff team to give it off to a dangerous Ron Stoppable. He knew what the kid was capable of.

Ron and Ladario Weathers prepared to return the kick from the Mad Dogs' goal-line.

Ted kicked the ball off as 10,000 pairs of eyes watched it fall into the hands of Number 7. Ron fielded the ball at the Mad Dog 5 and reached the Mad Dog 21 before Blaise Zabini stopped him. It was a 16-yard return for the all-purpose tailback.

The Mad Dogs offense took the field and were greeted with cheers and whistles by the visting Mad Dog crowd. They came out in the I-formation formation with Ron as the tailback and Troy Bolton as the starting fullback. South Panola countered with its usual 4-4 defense.

On first and 10, Ron got his first handoff from Stan Marsh, shifted to the right, and got excellent blocks from Ben Ulrand and Oliver Wood. He tore through the Tigers' defense for a gain of 19 yards to the 40 yard-line. Dontrell Avery made the stop but not before Unstoppable Stoppable moved the chains for the Mad Dogs for the first time tonight.

Kim cheered loudly for her boyfriend as she led the chant.

"Let's go Unstoppable Stoppable

Let's take the ball downtown

The Mad Dogs just picked up a first down!!!!  
GOOOOOOO, MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!

Troy then got the fullback blast carry on first down. He busted through the middle for a gain of 3 yards before Grover Dill got to him first at the Mad Dog 43.

Barkin then called the next play in for his Mad Dogs "7 Counter Strong Left", indicating another run play for Ron. Stan understood the call and sprinted back to the huddle. With 9:57 left and five seconds displaying its golden bulbs on the play clock, Stan barked the signals and handed the ball off to Ron. He moved to the left and made his way to the Tiger 49 for a gain of 8 yards and another Mad Dog first down. Bart Simpson managed to make a stop on the tailback, but it seemed that they couldn't contain Ron.

The Mad Dog crowd cheered even louder for their heroes as they moved into enemy territory for the first time tonight.

On the next play, Coach Barkin noticed that Ron was getting a little fatigued, so he sent in Ladario.

"Weathers, you're up! Stoppable, take a brief rest!" Barkin commanded his two backs.

Ron came out for a few plays while Ladario took his place.

Ladario got his first action as Stan handed the ball off to him. The senior tailback picked up 6 yards to the Tiger 43 before Marvin Young, Deangelo's bigger brother, prevented him from gaining any more yards.

Stan then kept the ball himself up the middle on a sneak on 2nd and 4. He busted through for only 2 yards to the 41. Roger Klotz made sure that he didn't get the first down.

On 3rd and 2, Barkin called in an option play for Stan himself. About 8:41 remained in the period when Devon snapped the ball to him. The white jersey of number 4 may not be as fast as Deangelo but he broke through one tackle, picked up the first down, and reached the 26 before Deangelo, himself, wrapped Stan there. It was a 15-yard gain by the Mad Dog quarterback.

The Mad Dog cheers continued to grow louder and louder.

Ron then came back in for Ladario. After Stan's magnificant run, Ron then carried his way to the left to pick up 18 more yards to the Tiger 8 and another first down.

On the eighth play of the drive, Barkin called in "7 Eagle Counter". With about 8:09 left in the quarter and 10 seconds on the play clock, Ron got the carry. Bart tried to bring him down but he was stiff-armed to the ground. He crossed the end zone with 8:03 remaining.

"Touchdown, Middleton." the Tigers' PA said unenthusiastically said. Mad Dog fans exploded in cheering mode.

Ron has scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to end a eight-play, 79-yard drive on a high note.

"Go, Go, Unstoppable!!!!" Kim exclaimed wildly as Tara carried the Middleton High flag across the track for the first time since being sent to Juvie Hall. It was a familiar and positive feeling for her. The fight song of MHS put her back into the refuge that high school football can bring to her.

As Charlie kicked the PAT through the uprights, the score was now: South Panola 7, Middleton 7.

-- SP ball --

When the celebrations for the Mad Dogs subsided, the kickoff teams returned to the field. Charlie signaled that he was ready to kick the ball off to Deangelo and Karl. The ball left from the tip of Charlie's foot and went into the hands of Karl at the Tiger 1. The senior wideout returned it to the Tiger 19 before being stopped by Kyle Broflovski for an 18-yard return.

On first and 10, Darius got the handoff from Deangelo and was able to pick up 2 yards to the 21 before Ralph opened his arms to give a tackle to the five-star senior tailback.

Second and 8 saw Deangelo drop back to pass for the first time in the ball-game. He spotted an intended receiver in Willie Wright, his other senior wideout, but it went through his hands and fell incomplete.

Deangelo tried again to pass on third and 8 to Karl but it fell incomplete and the Tigers had to go 3-and-out.

The Mad Dogs cheer squad celebrated that their team was going to get the ball back with 7:18 left in the quarter.

"Let's go, Mad Dogs!!!!  
Let's hear y'all shout

For the Tigers to go three-and-out!!!!"

Ash Ketchum, the punter and fullback, punted in the cold wind where Ron was waiting to return the kick. He fielded the kick at the Mad Dog 41 and went down to the Mad Dog 49. It was a 38-yard punt and an 8-yard return by Ron with 7:08 left.

-- MID ball --

Seeing that all previous attempts to stop Unstoppable Stoppable have failed, Coach Woods called in his defense:

"Do NOT allow them to go any further. YOU are the South Panola Tigers!!!!!!!! This is OUR turf and WE SHALL DEFEND IT!!!!!!!!"

Coach Woods' message got across to all eleven defensive players involved as they came back into formation.

On first down, Ron got another handoff from Stan to the right side. This time, though, number 7 was stopped behind the line by Russel Northrop for a loss of 1 yard to the Mad Dog 48.

Troy then tried the middle on the fullback blast play. Grover and Bart teamed up to snuff it out for a loss of 2 yards to the Mad Dog 46.

With 5:59 left in the quarter, noticing that it was now 3rd and 13, Coach Barkin called in "1 Eagle Pass". Stan barked the signals and snapped the ball from Devon. He dropped back and prepared to pass, trying to find Carver Descartes, who was covered by Deangelo. But then the pocket collapsed around Stan and was suddenly brought down by Damon West, SP's junior linebacker whose speed and strength has been valued on the team, for a sack of a loss of 9 yards to the 37.

Kim, worried that the Mad Dogs were losing concentation, kept her faith.

_Please, Mad Dogs!!! Hold South Panola right here!!!!!_

The Mad Dogs had to punt with David Childers from the 37 to the Tigers' 19, where Deangelo was fielding the kick. He returned it to the 32-yardline of South Panola for a 13-yard pickup when Weevil made the stop.

-- SP ball --

South Panola's offense with the usual personell came out to the field with 5:27 left in the quarter. The Mad Dogs' defense came in with a 3-4 formation, hoping that the ground attack would be contained like in Game 5.

Evan got a fullback handoff from Deangelo to the left and picked up a pretty good gain of 9 yards to the Tiger 41 as Chalkey and Tracey Sketchit made the stop.

On 2nd and 1, it was Darius' turn to carry the ball. With 5:04 left in the quarter, he easily picked up the first down and sped his way into Middleton territory. Ron brought him down at the Mad Dog 45, but not before the blue-chip running back picked up 14 yards.

The Tiger crowd made their cheers loud.

Then Coach Woods, from the Tigers' box, observed that he had a formation up his sleeve that could bring the Mad Dog defense to its knees. He called in his star wideout, Karl Branting.

"Branting, I want you to run ............ 7 WT Option!! I also want Deangelo to be a wideout!" He showed Karl the play in his unique formation. Karl nodded his head.

Karl came back into the Tiger huddle. He motioned to them which formation that the Tigers would be calling next.

The Mad Dogs were still in their 3-4 defense, still anticipating another I-option play. What they found out, however, was completely opposite. They did not know that the Tigers were running the Wildcat formation, an increasingly popular formation in high schools, colleges, and even the pros.

Suddenly, Darius, instead of Deangelo was barking the signals as if he was the quarterback and Deangelo lined up in the slot position. Karl was lined up a a wideout in motion. Darius got the direct snap and gave the ball off to Karl. He then faked as if he was running for it. The Mad Dogs defense was caught completely off-guard! Karl rolled to his left and found a huge gash!!!!!!

"AND HERE COMES KARL BRANTING ON THE REVERSE OPTION!!!!!!" the PA screamed through his mike.

Vince was able to realize what was going on and caught up to Karl. Unfortunately, he brought Karl down at the Mad Dog 6. It was a 39-yard reverse by Karl Branting for South Panola.

Coach Barkin dropped his jaw, for he has never seen that formation in his life before: practice or at all of the football games that he's coached.

Ron rubbed his eyes in disbelief. It was hard to believe that the Mad Dogs' defense can't seem to concentrate on one South Panola player.

After Karl's electrifying run, the Tigers were about to run another play when motion from Charles Harris forced the officials to throw the flags for the first time tonight.

"ILLEGAL PROCEDURE ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 51 ON THE PLAY, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN!!!!

The penalty moved the ball to the Mad Dog 11.

Coach Woods then called in the dreaded "16 Right Option". Deangelo went under center with four minutes remaining. He barked the signals and snapped the ball. The star quarterback of South Panola called his own number. Following his offensive linemen, the familiar number 16 sped into the end zone with 3:52 left in the quarter.

"TOUCHDOWN TIGERS!!!!!!!!!" the PA announcer yelled. Deangelo has scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers ahead and the key play was Karl's 39-yard reverse. South Panola exploded in a chorus of cheers and airhorns.

It was the exact opposite for their visitors. Still, they were confident that Unstoppable Stoppable would dig them out of the mess.

The kick by Ted was no good for it sailed to the wide left.

The new score was: South Panola 13, Middleton 7.

--MID ball--

Ron prepared to return the kickoff from Ted. The kick sailed into the air and went into his hands at the Mad Dog 9. The familiar jersey of number 7 returned it for a gain of 24 yards to the Mad Dog 33 before Tristian Gray, a backup wideout, met him at the turf.

Still shaken up from Karl's reverse play from the Wildcat formation and the touchdown by Deangelo, the Mad Dogs' offense took to the field, hopefully trying to regain the lead.

On first down, Stan barked the signals as best as he could but there was miscommunication between him and Devon. He snapped the ball too early as it flew out of Stan's hands and lost it. Stan was able to dive on the ball. It was a loss of 4 yards to the Mad Dog 29.

After the awful play, Barkin gave an earful to his field general before sending him back out onto the field.

Ron, determined to wash the almost lost fumble, got the carry on the next play with 9 ticks on the clock. He found a good block from Harold Berman and narrowly picked up the important first down for a gain of 15 yards to the 44-yardline. TJ Avery was about to bring him down but Ron went out-of-bounds to the Middleton sideline to avoid the hit. It stopped the clock with 2:46 left in the period

Kim led the way in cheering for her beloved Mad Dogs.

On the next play, Stan dropped back to pass and found his target in Carver Descartes. But when he caught the ball, he was instantly brought down for a small gain of 2 yards by Jermaine Carr at the Middleton 46.

Coach Barkin wanted a pass play on 2nd and 8 intended for Ron. So, the Mad Dogs brought out the shotgun offense and brought in Ladario as the tailback. Ron was now a wideout. Stan went back to pass and threw it in the direction of Ron. Deangelo was covering him and all kinds of contact came into play. The refs threw the flags out at once and the official made his call:

"PASS INTERFERENCE ON THE DEFENSE, NUMBER 16 ON THE PLAY, 15-YARD PENALTY FROM THE PREVIOUS SPOT, FIRST DOWN."

Tiger fans booed on the call as the ball moved to South Panola's 39-yard line as 2:17 remained.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders led the way.

"Let's Go Mad Dogs!! Let's Fight Fight Fight!!!!!  
Beat the Tigers Tonight!!!!!!"

Unfortunately, they spoke too soon.

Stan tried to pass on first down. To his dismay, he found out that his receivers were well covered. Ron was trying to defend Stan from any Tiger defenders. But Russell's 250-pound frame overpowered Ron's 185-pound frame and Stan was brought down at the 50-yardline for a loss of 11 yards.

On second down, the Mad Dogs were showing their shotgun formation again and the Tigers had five defensive backs on the field.

Stan again went back to pass and tried to find Ron for the deep Hail Mary ball. Ron was in single coverage with Deangelo at the Tiger 14 in the middle of the field, preparing to catch the ball but another South Panola defender reached the ball first.

"INTERCEPTION BY JERMAINE CARR!!!!!" the PA exclaimed.

Jermaine Carr of South Panola pulled down the interception with 1:28 left in the quarter at the Tiger 24. Carver brought him down at the Tiger 27 but it was enough to end a scoring threat for the Mad Dogs.

All Ron could hear were two opposite reactions: the Mad Dog crowd groaning and South Panola's crowd cheering.

Kim rubbed her face in disbelief. Still, her faith in her team remained solid that they can recover from the turnover and get back into the game.

Barkin, in an angry tone of voice, motioned all of his offense, save for Ron, to sit back on the sidelines so that they could get another earful.

--SP ball--

With 1:21 left in the period, the Mad Dogs had a potential scoring drive taken away from them by a pick. Now, the defense came back onto the field, hopefully trying to stop SP on this drive.

The Tigers came in with Dontrell Avery now as the new tailback for South Panola. The Mad Dogs were now in the 4-4 defense.

_Hopefully, it'll slow down the running game_,Barkin thought.

On first down from the Tiger 27, Evan got the fullback option hand-off from Deangelo. Walter Cunningham and Augustus Gloop led the blocking paths for the fullback. The blue jersey of number 4 barreled through the Mad Dog defense into the secondary and picked up the first down at the Tiger 40. Lee Jordan stopped him but it was still a gain of 13 yards and the Tigers continued to move the sticks.

Deangelo then called his own number with 50 seconds left on the game clock. He moved up the middle and picked up 6 yards to the Tiger 46 before Jimmie Hopkins stopped him for Middleton.

On the final play of the first quarter, Deangelo then handed the ball off to the dangerous Dontrell to the right side. He shedded off one Mad Dog defender before reaching Mad Dog territory at the 41 for a 15-yard gain. Token and Ron both contributed with the stop, but even they know that they were going to have to work harder to contain this unpredictable running game.

The horn signaled the end of the first quarter.

Kim still held hope from the visiting sidelines that this would be the drive in which the Mad Dogs would stop South Panola from advancing.

The score at the end of the first quarter of Game 6 was: the South Panola Tigers 13, the Middleton Mad Dogs 7.


	120. Game 6 Quarter 2: Wild Tigers

As the second quarter of the game began, the Mad Dogs were still trailing by only a margin of 13-7, but their backs were up against the wall.

On the first play of the second quarter from the Mad Dog 43, Evan carried on the fullback blast play up the middle and picked up 3 yards to the Mad Dog 40 as Ralph brought him down to the turf.

Second and 7 saw Deangelo drop back to pass. He pumped faked once as the pocket held tight and spotted an open man in Karl. Karl caught the ball down the middle and picked up the first down before Ron got to him at the Mad Dog 27. It was a 13-yard gain for the senior wideout as the Tigers moved closer to extending their lead with 11:29 left in the half.

Kim, sensing the urgency, led the way to the crowd for the Mad Dogs' defense to fight on.

"Let's go MAD DOGS!!!!  
Let's stop 'em here!!!!!  
Root for our defense !!!!  
Stand up and Cheer !!!!!"

On first down from the Mad Dog 27, Deangelo called his number again as he rolled to the left. He gained 5 hard-earned yards before the ever-present linebacker, number 48, TJ Detwiler stopped him at the 22.

Coach Woods then sensed another golden opportunity to call in the unique formation that netted the 39-yard reverse by Karl earlier in the first quarter, the Wildcat. He called in Dontrell Avery to the sidelines for a brief moment.

"Dontrell, let's run this play ------- 11 WC Option!!" the Tigers coach said of his speedy tailback. Dontrell nodded his head and returned back to the huddle.

Dontrell told them about the play and Deangelo nodded his head.

Barkin still kept his 4-4 defense in. They were walking into another trap.

Dontrell came under in a shotgun-like formation with Evan as the tailback. Deangelo lined up as a third wideout. They were in the same formation as the one with the Karl Branting surprise reverse. The ball was snapped with 10:21 left on the clock and 7 ticks on the play-clock. Dontrell took in the snap, faked the handoff to Deangelo, and kept the ball to himself. He followed his blocks and used his speed to outrun the entire Mad Dog defense. Ron tried to bring Dontrell down but Dontrell easily out-ran him. All number 7 got was a mouthful of Batesville turf as Dontrell crossed the end zone for South Panola's third touchdown with 10:14 left in the second.

"TOUCHDOWN, SOUTH PANOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!" the PA yelled through the speaker system. The Tigers' side of the stadium exploded with thunderous cheers, applause, and airhorn sounds.

Dontrell Avery has scored on a 22-yard touchdown run on a direct-snap option with 10:14 left.

Kim, the Mad Dog squad, and the 3,000 Mad Dog fans who were braving 33 degree temperature were all stunned that the Tigers were now up by two touchdowns.

Ted booted his point after through the uprights to cap a 7-play, 72-yard drive.

The new score was now: South Panola 20, Middleton 7.

--MID ball--

Still trying to recover from that surprising touchdown run, the Mad Dog football team must find an answer, a spark, anything to get back into the ballgame.

Ted kicked it deep to Ron, who was waiting at his goal-line. The battered number 7 jersey returned it to the Mad Dog 28 where he was met by Germichael Diggs on the special teams tackle.

The Mad Dog offense reappeared on the field, still shaken up from that last drive that ended with an interception. South Panola's defense was more than ready to bear its teeth down on Unstoppable Stoppable.

On the first play, Ron tried to run up the middle but was stuffed by Bart for only a gain of 2 yards to the Mad Dog 30.

On 2nd and 8, Troy carried on a blast play to the left and was hit very hard by Marvin at the Mad Dog 26. Suddenly, the ball came forcing out and landed on the turf at that spot. Luckily, Troy was there to pick it back up at the 25 but he lost 5 yards due to his mistake.

Stan went deep back to pass on 3rd and 13 but his pass fell incomplete to Ladrecius Nesbitt and the Mad Dogs had to go 3-and-out with 8:54 left in the quarter.

Coach Barkin, frustrated how his offense performed in the last three drives, sent in David and the punting unit. David punted from the Mad Dog 25 and the ball landed at the Tiger 32, where it was downed.

--SP ball--

With 8:46 left in the period, the possession arrow went back into the hands of the Tigers at their own 32.

Darius checked back into the ball-game as the tailback.

He got the first-down carry to the left guard and picked up 6 yards to the Tiger 38 before Chalkey took a licking to him on the turf.

On second down, Evan then tried to take it up the middle but was stuffed by Mikey Blumberg for a loss of 2 yards to the Tiger 36.

After, Deangelo's pass to Karl fell incomplete on 3rd and 6, the Tigers punted it back to the Mad Dogs as 7:17 showed on the clock.

Ash performed a short 31-yard punt to the Mad Dog 33. Ron returned it to the Mad Dog 42 for 9 yards where he was stopped at that point by Chazz Princeton .

--MID ball--

Now that the Mad Dogs have the ball back with 7:06 remaining in the half, Ladario replaced Ron for a brief time.

On first down from the 42, Ladario got the handoff from Stan up the middle but was held very well by the Tigers' defense. He only gained 1 yard on the run before Russell stopped him at the 43.

Stan dropped back to pass on 2nd and 9 to find Carver. Unfortunately, as the ball reached him, the pass was tipped by Damon West and fell incomplete.

Then, flags flew everywhere as motion was detected on the Mad Dog offensive line.

FALSE START ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 70 ON THE PLAY, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL 3RD DOWN!!

Harold Berman was charged with the foul as the ball moved back to the Mad Dog 38.

On 3rd and 14, after the penalty, Coach Barkin brought in Milo and Lance Jackson as the two extra receivers as Troy and Oliver went out for a couple of plays.

"Stoppable, you're up!! Make this team proud!" Barkin demanded of his star tailback.

"I won't let you down, Mr. Barkin!" Ron smiled as he subbed in for Ladario.

With 6:20 left, Stan went to pass again. The Mad Dog offensive protection was breaking down, so Stan had to throw it in a hurry.

And it landed into the hands of ...........

"INTERCEPTED BY DEANGELO YOUNG FOR YOUR TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!"

Deangelo picked off Stan's pass at the Tiger 35, went down the Middleton and returned it to the Tiger 49 for 14 yards before Lance took him down at the 6:11 mark.

The Mad Dog crowd was shocked to see Stan being picked off twice. Barkin growled and gave another earful to the offense when they returned to their seats.

South Panola fans cheered and whistled for their defense.

Ron, in frustration, shook his head. _Wish if Stan wouldn't have thrown that pass!!!!_

Kim buried her hands in dismay and dropped her large golden pom-poms when she heard the result of Stan's pick. Still, she still kept faith that the Mad Dogs would hold the Tigers down on defense and get back into the game.

--SP ball--

After Stan's pick, the Tigers went down to business to extend their lead before halftime with six minutes and one second left in the half. They have excellent field position at their own 49.

On first down, Deangelo kept the ball himself and picked up 3 yards to the Mad Dog 48 before Butters stopped him.

Then, on 2nd and 7 with 5:45 left in the period, Coach Woods motioned to Darius to the sidelines. He was looking through his playbook.

"Griffin, let's run ........ '14 Wild Tiger Option' to the left" Woods asked of his star tailback.

"Yes, Coach." Darius nodded his head as he returned back into the huddle.

The other 10 Tiger offensive members waited to hear Darius' call

"Dudley, snap the ball to me and I'll keep it." Darius said in the huddle. "Everyone, remember what Coach told us about this Wild Tiger play!"

Deciding that they were going to run this formation again, which was called the Wild Tiger formation: a variation of the Wildcat formation. Darius lined up as if he were the quarterback taking the snap and Deangelo lined up as a wideout to the left. Evan was the 'tailback' for this play.

The Mad Dogs were still in a 4-4 defensive formation when the play was called.

As 8 ticks appeared on the play-clock, Darius called the signals and got the direct snap from Dudley and moved to his left. Francis and Augustus in front of him and, suddenly, a gashing running lane was opened in front of him. Deangelo made a block of Vince and continued to widen the lane even more for his star tailback.

Darius kept the ball as he broke loose through the Mad Dog defense.

"AND DARIUS GRIFFIN IS OFF TO THE RACES!!!!!!"

He went down to the 20, 15, 10, 5 ..........

"TOUCHDOWN, SOUTH PANOLA!!!!!!!!" The three words echoed into Kim's ears. She gave an exasperating sigh.

_This is going to be a very long night for us!_

The fight song of the Tigers played on such a joyous occasion.

Darius Griffin scored on a 48-yard touchdown run from the Wild Tiger formation, something that the Mad Dogs have not seen in practice ........... ever. And the defense was burned three times by that formation, two for scores. Around 5:31 remained on the game clock.

South Panola then tried to tack on more points on the board on a two-point conversion but Deangelo's run failed.

The new score was: South Panola 26, Middleton 7.

--MID ball--

Coach Barkin was in aghast at the horrible performance of his defense, who was now burned by three runs of 30 or more yards. He knew that the Mad Dogs had to do something quick before the Tiger struck again.

The kickoff teams came once again to the field. Ted signaled that he was ready to kick it off to Ron and Dashiell Parr. The ball came to the Mad Dog 6 in the waiting arms of Dash. He took the ball and went to his left. Number 15 took it to the 44 where he picked up 38 yards on the return. Tristian Gray and Chazz shared the special teams tackle for South Panola. It was one of the best returns for the Mad Dogs for the night

On first down, Stan dropped back to pass. Unfortunately for him, the Mad Dog protection quickly broke down. He found himself scurrying for his life, but it was too late. Russell wrapped him up deep behind the line of scrimmage. The blue number 43 jersey sacked Stan at the Mad Dog 34 for a loss of 10 yards.

The Mad Dog crowd was stunned in deathly silence that their offense had been going backwards ever since Unstoppable Stoppable scored their only touchdown thus far.

But what happened next was even more horrifying and painful than the sack, especially for Kim.

On 2nd and 23, Coach Barkin, after giving another outbust to his offensive linemen for failing to protect their quarterback, called in a draw play for Ron, hopeful to catch the Tigers off-guard.

The play clock wore down to 11 seconds before Stan snapped the ball and handed it off to Ron.

But........

Unstoppable Stoppable was hit so hard behind the line at the Mad Dog 31 by Roger Klotz that the ball popped loose from his hands. One of the Tigers dived on it. Marvin Young was the one to recover it for South Panola.

The Mad Dog fans echoed and droaned in a neverending sea of groans.

Tara hoped and prayed that the Mad Dogs still retained possession of the football, but once she saw the referee gesture his hand and the possession arrow turned into the favor of South Panola, her soaring sprits that she maintained ever since returning from Juvie Hall sank to its lowest point.

Kim was the worst affected by this. She dropped the pom-poms and her head lowered to the gravel track as her boyfriend fumbled the ball.

Even she admitted that the new cheer uniforms bestowed to the squad by London were flashier than tonight's abysmal performance by the Mad Dogs.

--SP ball--

Now with the golden opportunity to put the death knell against Middleton, the Tigers now had the ball on the Middleton 31-yard hashmark line with 4:44 remaining in the half.

Coach Woods called in "14 Eagle Option Pass" where Darius is going to go deep and catch Deangelo's pass.

Deangelo snapped the ball with 10 seconds left. Darius used his legs to go into the endzone with Ron trailing right behind him.

Deangelo threw the football with all his might. Kim hoped that her boyfriend would pick it off.

The recognizable blue number 14 Tiger jersey caught the pass in the end zone in front of Ron.

"TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the PA announcer boomed.

With 4:35 left in the period, Darius has scored his second touchdown of the game, a 31-yard deep touchdown pass from Deangelo Young

Kim was stunned at how fast it went by:_ Nine seconds, it was all that stood between us winning and losing the game. And I have a feeling that this football sitch is going to get worse._

Coach Woods then decided to go for two points again. Darius lined up behind Evan and Deangelo in the I-formation and got the ball. He went to his left and easily picked up the two-point conversion.

The new score was now: South Panola 34, Middleton 7.

--MID ball--

Now with very little hopes of winning, the Mad Dogs had to pin everything, every hopes of winning of that title, on this one drive.

Ted kicked the ball off into the air to the Mad Dog 11. Ladario returned it to the Mad Dog 35 for 24 yards before Blaise got a hand on him.

Ron was sitting on the sidelines, thinking back on what went wrong with the fumble.

On first down, Ladario got the handoff from Stan and picked up 8 yards to the Mad Dog 43 before Bart stopped him.

Stan dropped back to pass on 2nd and 2 and found Carver in Tiger territory. The wideout caught the ball at the Tiger 41 for a 16-yard gain before Deangelo got to him.

Realizing that it was taking too much time off the clock, Coach Barkin called a timeout with 3:46 left in the half.

Going over the play on his clipboard, the Mad Dog offense went over it and went back onto the field.

Stan barked the signals and handed the ball off to Ladario. However, the senior tailback was hit by Bart at the Tiger 43 and the ball fell loose from his hands, resulting in a fumble. There was a dive for the football.

All the referee did was to signal with his hand that South Panola recovered the fumble for Gordon Dill fell on the ball first.

It was also an indication that the Mad Dogs were going to go down in defeat, regardless of whatever they do.

Coach Barkin was not happy, whatsoever, with his offense or his defense.

It was also the fourth turnover against the Mad Dogs.

--SP ball--

Now that the Mad Dogs were on the verge of being routed, South Panola wanted to score just one more time before the half was over, for 3:38 remained in the quarter.

The Tigers resumed using their normal I-option formation with Dontrell taking the place of a worn-out Darius Griffin.

On first and 10 from the Tigers' 43, Deangelo called his own number and went to the Middleton sideline. He spotted that Ron was about to bring him down, so he went out of bounds and picked up 11 yards to the Mad Dog 46 for another Tiger first down and stopped the clock with three and a half minutes left.

Even Ron was beginning to feel the effects of frustration of living up to the hype of being the star player for an underdog team trying to beat the number 1 team in the nation.

Dontrell got another carry up the middle and gained 4 yards to the Mad Dog 42 before Tracey took him down.

Deangelo got another option quarterback carry. He faked a handoff to Evan before keeping it himself for a gain of 3 yards to the Mad Dog 39 yard-line. The star quarterback was met by Jimmie, the Bad Boy of the Mad Dogs.

Coach Woods then decided to call the first of his three timeouts with 2:37 left in the quarter.

The Tigers' offense paused for a water-break as Coach Woods called in the next play -- "11 Counter Option."

The Mad Dogs, now completely worn out, needed a water-break of their own. The visiting crowd was slowly growing more impatient for any miracle to happen.

On 3rd and 3, Deangelo gave the handoff to Dontrell. Once again the Tigers' line held the Mad Dogs as Dontrell went to the left. He broke through one tackle, picked up the first down, and gained 14 more yards to the Mad Dogs' 28-yard line. A tired and battered-down Ron and Token teamed up to make the stop for the Mad Dogs as the clock showed the 2:25 mark remaining.

Deangelo then caught the Mad Dogs off-guard again. The Mad Dogs were anticipating run but then number 16 dropped back to pass. He spotted his favorite target: Karl Branting who was in single coverage with Lee Jordan. Karl caught Deangelo's pass in front of Lee at the 11-yard hash-mark of the Mad Dogs and Lee brought him down right there. It was a 17-yard pass play and good enough to move the sticks.

The Tigers were going to run another play at the Mad Dog 11, but a bit of early motion caught them off-guard.

FALSE START, ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 38 ON THE PLAY, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN.

Francis Hancock, the senior tight end, was charged with the penalty and it moved the ball back to the 16.

Coach Woods then used the second of his timeouts with 2:01 left in the half.

Sensing that Evan had seen enough action for tonight, the Tigers' head coach brought in Ash Ketchum, his fullback and punter, for some playing time.

Ash got his first carry on 1st and 15 and picked up a decent gain of 7 yards to the Mad Dog 9 before the white Mad Dog jersey of Number 48, TJ Detwiler, was able to tackle him.

On 2nd and 6, Deangelo then tried to keep it on the option himself, but he was caught from behind by Butters and brought down for a loss of 2 yards to the Mad Dog 11.

With the clock running down very quickly, Coach Woods called in his third and final timeout with 1:09 remaining

After an incomplete pass from Deangelo to Karl on 3rd and 8, the Tigers' field-goal team made a rare appearance. Ash was holding for Ted, hoping to put up three more points on a chip-shot 28-yard field goal as 1:02 showed on the clock.

The ball was snapped with 8 ticks left on the play clock.

Ted's 28-yd field goal was up and ............ it was GOOD!!!!!! with 55 seconds left in the half.

Kim looked slack-jawed when she saw the ball cross the uprights and Ron, from the sidelines, watched in agony as more points were added to the Tigers' already-insurmontable lead.

The score was now: South Panola 37, Middleton 7.

--MID ball---

With all hopes of a Game 6 victory gone, all the Mad Dogs could do now was to play for school pride.

Ted kicked the ball deep to a beaten-down Ron at the Mad Dog 4. Ron returned it to the Mad Dog 28 for 24 yards as Anthony Butler contributed on the special teams tackle for SP.

A beaten down offense who has been going backwards for quite some time returned to the field, already run over with four turnovers, three going for a couple of touchdowns and a field goal.

Stan kept the ball himself on a rare option play on first down. He swerved around and found a few good blocks and went out-of-bounds for a gain of 8 yards to the 36 with 48 seconds left in the half.

Ron went up the middle on 2nd and 2 and picked up 4 yards to the Mad Dog 40 and the first down. Evan and Marvin stopped him right there for South Panola.

The Mad Dogs were about to run another play when Barkin looked at the play clock. He realized to his horror that the play was developing too long. Coach Barkin then called the second of his timeouts with 27 seconds remaining.

After the timeout expired, Stan then tossed a counter to Ron but number 7 was instantly stuffed by Evan for a loss of 3 to the Mad Dog 37.

Realizing the futility of the ground game, Barkin called his third and final timeout with 8 seconds remaining and called for a deep Hail-Mary pass. He recalled Troy and Oliver and put in Lance and Milo. Ron also lined up as a slot receiver to make a grand total of five wideouts.

The Tigers countered that with seven defensive backs.

The play clock went down to 5 seconds before Stan snapped the ball. He dropped back to pass, hoping to find an open receiver. Luckily, he spotted Ron in single coverage with Deangelo. Stan threw with all his might to the star tailback, but Tristian Gray, number 21 for South Panola, tipped the pass away from Ron. The ball hit his hands before it landed innocently on the Batesville turf for an incomplete pass.

It took all eight seconds off the clock as the buzzer horn blared throughout the stadium, signaling the end of the first half.

Both teams then sprinted to their respective locker rooms as the marching bands came to the field.

The South Panola homestanding crowd welcomed this flawless performance from their team.

The Mad Dog crowd fell into bitter disappointment with their team. They came to Game 6, hoping for a state title. Instead, it turned out to be a slaughter in the making.

The score of Game 6 at the end of the first half was: the South Panola Tigers 37, the Middleton Mad Dogs 7.


	121. Cracked Nachoes

Time: 8:40pm, Wednesday

Place: Robert Dunlap Stadium, Batesville, MS

As South Panola's band marched onto the field first, the Tigers' PA prepared to read the first-half stats out loud to see what had been accomplished in the first 24 minutes of the ball-game:

"Your halftime score is your South Panola Tigers 37 and the Middleton Mad Dogs 7.

"For your Tigers in rushing, Darius Griffin had 81 yards on six carries and two touchdowns; Evan Nordan had 78 yards on five carries and one touchdown; TJ Avery had 55 yards on four carries and one touchdown; Deangelo Young had 54 yards on eight carries and one touchdown; Karl Branting had 39 yards on one carry and Ash Ketchum had seven yards on one carry. In all, your Tigers have 314 yards on 25 carries and five touchdowns.

"For the Mad Dogs in rushing, Ron Stoppable has 66 yards on 10 carries and one touchdown; Ladario Weathers had 13 yards on four carries; Troy Bolton had minus four yards on three carries; and Stan Marsh had minus 12 yards on seven carries. In all the Mad Dogs have 63 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown.

"For the Tigers in passing, Young is two of five for 30 yards. Branting had both passes caught for 30 yards as well.

"For the Mad Dogs in passing, Marsh is two of seven for 18 yards and two interceptions. Carver Descartes had both catches for 18 yards.

In all, the Tigers have 344 yards on 30 plays while the Mad Dogs have 81 yards on 31 plays.

The Tigers have also forced four turnovers against the Mad Dogs."

______________________________________________________________________________

Kim looked around the faces of the Mad Dog faithful. They were shellshocked at the team's performance in the first half. It was even worse than that of Game 2 and 4 ....... combined. Even a few of the fans were starting to stand up from their seats.

She was continuing to anxiously eat her nachos as the crumbs fell onto her new cheer skirt. One after another, the nachoes in her paper dish were either broken or crumbled. In her mind, that image better expresses more than words the sad condition the Mad Dog football team was in tonight.

Even the Middleton Mad Dog's sounds, herself, died to a solemn whimper. The banana cream foam hasn't been popped out of the mouth and the growling sounds were severely lessened.

Rufus came out of David Stoppable's pants pocket. He gazed once at the stadium scoreboard and gave a loud squeaking shriek before he fainted in David's lap.

Kim could hardly eat her food when Bonnie and Tara came up to her. They had cheered to their heart's content for their Mad Dogs, but it wasn't enough to lift them up from the 30-point hole that they dug in.

To cheer Kim up, the two cheerleaders talked about the final plans for the Winter Formal. But then Tara brought up the other sitch that deeply affected the cheer squad: Caitlin's dilema at Juvenille hall.

Both Kim and Bonnie have brought up-to-date information concerning about Caitlin.

Then, Tara remembered something earlier in the day: a call from Caitlin from Juvenille Hall, and it was of the most disturbing kind that she has ever heard in her life.

"That.......that reminds me. Cait-Caitlin called me during the lunch break earlier today. I had to take it outside." Tara stammered when she brought it up for the first time in front of her friends.

"Tara?! Why haven't you told us before?!" Kim exclaimed about the fact that Caitlin's freedom laid on the line. But there was something else involved.

"I didn't want to bring it up." Tara admitted then hushed her voice to a whisper that is audible to Kim and Bonnie but not audible to everyone else.

"When I called up Caitlin, she was in pain and torture because she told me that she had dinner last night and she saw ................. Veruca through the other dining room." Tara began to sob into Bonnie's outfit. The brunette offered Tara any comfort from the sheer pain of the monster.

Tara could not bear to surface the pain of her prison experiences.

Like what had happened with Tara, Caitlin's life now raised the stakes higher.

Kim's face now turned about as white as a ghost. The sick and insane ex-captain was going to strike against her imprisoned friend. She quivered her voice before whispering to Tara, "What is she planning to do?"

Tara, in between sobs, answered, "She's going to ...... hang her because Veruca imitated a noose around her neck. Once she's convicted, we may never see her alive again!" She remembered all about the state's laws regarding juvenilles.

Kim then determined, without a doubt, that to free Caitlin, she must find any evidence that could free her from this endless nightmare. Sure she had the chemicals and everything at her disposal, but she must find real hard evidence that Caitlin was not involved in the Club Banana incident.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Camille was looking at Kim and Bonnie, her two next targets.

_It won't be long before my 'happy cheerleader in her system' shit comes crashing down on Kim in one of the most spectacular downfalls ever. She is going to fall victim to the final phase of my plan, starting tomorrow evening._

_________________________________________________________________________________

As the three cheerleaders heard the end of the Middleton High Marching Band's halftime performance, it was time for them to return to the field for the beginning of the second half.

Kim then saw a tale of two different football teams. One was a nationally-ranked team on the very verge of elimination, displaying its mericiless might throughout the football field. The other was a thoroughly dissected team that has been spit out and yelled at by Coach Barkin.

It was hard to believe for her, Tara, and Bonnie that they were on the latter team.

The two teams then took to the field. Since South Panola got the ball first to start the game, the Mad Dogs would get the ball first in the second half.

Both kickoff teams came onto the field, ready for the second half of an already lopsided Game 6 to begin.

Ted gave the signal that he was ready to kick it off and the second half was underway.

Kim hoped and prayed that the Game 6 sitch that Ron, Coach Barkin, and every Mad Dog player involved in it doesn't get worse that it is right now.


	122. Game 6 Quarter 3: Edge of a Cliff

As the second half began, the Mad Dogs were getting the ball first. Even though they wouldn't claim the trophy tonight, there was still Game 7 on Friday night.

--MID ball--

Ted's kick landed into the arms of Ron at the Mad Dog 9; Ron advanced to the Mad Dog 28 for 19 yards as Tristian Gray made the tackle.

On the first play of the drive, Ron got the handoff from Stan up the middle. The white jersey of number 7 picked up 5 yards to the Mad Dog 33 before Marvin came up with the stop for the Tigers.

Then, something went wrong on the Mad Dogs on the second play of the drive.

Stan lined his team up in the shotgun formation. The ball was snapped with eight ticks left to go on the clock. He went back to pass but the Tigers' defense was too much for the embattled Mad Dog offensive line. Damon West was in the mist of blocking Ron. The star linebacker popped through . Stan began to panic for a split-second, but it was too late. Damon popped the ball loose from the quarterback's hands as number 4 went down. Bart Simpson immediately saw the loose ball at the Mad Dog 27 and picked it up for South Panola. Ron tried to catch up with Bart but was unable to do so.

All Stan Marsh could do was watch in agony and pain as Bart crossed the goal-line into the Mad Dogs' end zone. It was the Mad Dogs' fifth turnover of game 6;

"TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the PA screamed though the loudspeakers as the Tiger crowd continued to cheer loudly.

Bart, with 11:16 left in the third, scored on a 27-yard fumble recovery return that officially put the game out of reach of the Mad Dogs. He handed the ball off to the referee and celebrated with his other team-mates.

Marge Simpson, sitting in the Tiger stands, waved her hand to her son. She took a digital photo of the exact moment of when Bart crossed the goal-line.

"My special little guy is growing up so much, Homie!" she exclaimed to her husband.

Homer nodded in as well, "And I can see the boy being a leader on this team in his ....... uh, Marge? Which class comes after junior year?" he asked while being dumbstruck.

"Senior, Homer. Senior year." Marge answered to Homer.

"Oh, right." Homer said with an understanding nod.

Ted's point after touchdown sailed through the uprights as the fight song of the Tigers blared throughout the Tiger bleachers.

Most of the Mad Dog fans were down in the dumps in terms of spirits. Nothing could've prepared them for this.

The score with 11:16 left in the third was: South Panola 44, Middleton 7.

Then the Tiger starters were given a standing ovation for the crowd.

Kim, from the sidelines, knew that this meant only one thing: _Panola's subs are coming in!! We are so doomed!_

The tinge of her playing the blues on her harmonica was not far from her.

--MID ball--

The Tigers, now preparing to rest up their starters for Game 7 on Friday night, prepared for the kickoff.

Ron, knowing that his team would go down in defeat, looked on the sides of his stained jersey.

Ted kicked the ball from its tee as it sailed through the air. Ron fielded the kick from his own 7 yard-line. He broke from one tackle before he was stopped at the Mad Dog 34 for a 27-yard return. Hector Zeroni and Blaise Zabini got to him first.

The second-team Tiger defense now came onto the field, because their starting counterparts have forced five turnovers and are now up by 37 points.

Even though they were pinned down by the Tigers' D, the Mad Dog starters, including Ron, remained on the field.

On first down, the Mad Dogs tried to fool the Tigers with a bit of trickery. Coach Barkin called in "1 Option Eagle Reverse." Stan would fake the ball to Ron and hand it on a reverse to Carver.

With 11:05 remaining in the quarter, the embattled field general called the signals and snapped the ball. He faked the handoff to Ron. Carver came into motion and got the reverse from Stan.

But, no matter what the Mad Dogs ran tonight, it didn't surprise South Panola ... at all.

Carver was taken down deep behind the line at the Mad Dog 26 for a loss of 8 yards. Nelson Muntz was the one who chased down the wideout and snuffed out the play before it could be developed.

On 2nd and 18, Ron carried to the left guard but only picked up 3 yards. Spike Hammersmith, a backup linebacker/tight end, stopped the tailback at the 29.

Stan's pass intended for Ladrecius Nesbittt on 3rd and 15 was tipped by Tristian and fell incomplete to the turf and the Mad Dogs had no choice but to go three-and-out as 9:58 remained in the quarter.

David and the punting unit came onto the field. Blaise Zabini was waiting to return for the Tigers.

David punted the ball deep to Blaise at South Panola's own 24. The backup tailback advanced to the Tiger 30 before Weevil got to him. It was a 47-yard punt by David and a 6-yard return by Blaise.

--SP ball--

Coach Woods, now seeing that the ball is in his team's possession, turned to his backup quarterback, Ray "Voodoo" Tatum.

He shook his head, indicating that it was time for Ray and the Tigers' second-team offense to take the field.

"Yes, Coach!" Ray said as he put his Tiger helmet on. The blue jersey of number 9 came in, along with the second-string Tiger offensive linemen, receivers and backs.

Kim, looking at the depressed looks of her fellow Mad Dog players and then at the remaining Mad Dog fans that were still present, began to think of the lyrics of her newest blues song.

The Middleton High starters still remained on the field. Nine minutes and 45 seconds were displayed on the golden bulbs of the South Panola scoreboard.

On first down, Ray got his first snap of Game 6 from Johnathan Bailey, the new center. He then handed it off to Blaise up the middle for his first carry. Blaise managed to pick up 1 yard to the Tiger 31 as Ralph made the stop.

Ray then went back to pass on 2nd and 9. He was trying to find his intended target: the backup slotback receiver, Anthony Butler and threw in his direction. Instead, it was found ..............

into the waiting arms of Lee Jordan for an interception with 9:17 remaining at the Tiger 39. Lee dodged one Tiger player and slashed to his left and was taken down at the Tiger 18 by Ash. It was a 21-yard return by the senior cornerback.

Whatever was left of the Mad Dog faithful cheered at the very first turnover committed by the Tigers. Kim, Bonnie and a few of the other cheerleaders did a few twirls with their golden pom-poms.

_Even though if we lose, we can still make the score at least a bit respectable!_

--MID ball--

The Mad Dog starting offense came back on the field, hoping to close the deficit to a more honorable margin rather than falling behind a bit further. They do indeed have the excellent field position.

On first down from the Tiger 18, Ron got another handoff from Stan to the right tackle side. He struggled through the defense before managing to pick up around 6 yards to the Tiger 12. Milhouse Van Houten got credit with his first tackle of the ballgame against Ron for the Tigers.

But all hopes of scoring quickly faded away when Stan gave the ball off to Troy on a fullback blast play. Troy was hit hard at the Tiger 14 by Chazz and it caused the ball to pop out of the fullback's hands. It landed to the turf as a live ball and two blue jerseys got to it first.

Some of the Panola players pointed and gestured with their hands that they have the football.

The officials confirmed that South Panola has gained possession of the ball at the Tiger 15, the sixth turnover against the Mad Dogs tonight as 8:28 remained on the clock.

Kim slapped her hand across her face as she dropped her pom-poms once again. _Our coach is going to have a very long talk with our team for this!!_

--SP ball--

Now that the Tigers had the ball on their 15 due to another mistake by the Mad Dogs, they figured to take advantage of it.

On first and 10, Ray came under center, hoping to put the interception behind him. Coach Woods called in the next play, "9 Eagle Option".

The Mad Dog starting defense, still bombarded with over 300 yards of rushing in the first half from the SP starters, now have to deal with a second-string team with a whole lot of talent potential.

Ray snapped the ball with 8 seconds left on the play clock. He kept it to himself and went to the left. The Tigers' second-string O-line did its job by protecting number 9. Voodoo Tatum slashed through the Mad Dog defense into the secondary and was running on the hashmarks. Ron was panting, trying to catch up to Ray. He finally tackled him at the Tiger 48 for a gain of 33 yards ........ out-of-bounds. This out-of-bounds tackle by Ron forced the officials to throw the flag with 8:15 remaining.

As if the Mad Dogs didn't have enough to deal with: the six turnovers, the fact that they have been held under 100 yards so far, and that they are behind by a score of 44-7, they now have to deal with a personal foul penalty caused by Unstoppable Stoppable.

PERSONAL FOUL ON THE DEFENSE, NUMBER 7 ON THE PLAY, 15 YARDS FROM THE SPOT OF THE FOUL, 1ST DOWN!!

As the referee decreed his call, Kim was exasperated by this. She didn't know that her boyfriend could be that aggressive on the football field. _Then again_, she observed, _it is high school football and things like this do happen, but not like when we're down by 44-7!!!!!!_.

Once the ball has been moved from the Tigers 48 to the Mad Dogs 37 due to Ron's error, play resumed.

Ray handed the ball off on first down to Ash up the middle. The backup fullback fought his way to the Mad Dogs 34 for a gain of 3 before Doug and Ralph got a hand on him.

The Tigers were going to run another play on 2nd and 8 before Mikey jumped offsides a little too early. Penalty flags again were common-place.

OFFSIDES, DEFENSE, NUMBER 75 ON THE PLAY, A 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL 2ND DOWN.

The ball moved from the 34 to the 29 after the penalty.

On 2nd and 3, Ash then tried up the middle again from the Mad Dog 29 but was stopped at the line of scrimmage for no gain by Mikey.

Coach Woods then called the first of his three second-half timeouts with 7:20 left in the third. He called the necessary play.

Coach Barkin continuted to yell at his 4-3 defense to step up, but it felt like that he was all bark and no bite.

As the timeout expired, the Tigers came back with their I-formation ready to strike against a weakened Mad Dog defense.

Ray then handed the ball off to Blaise on a crucial 3rd and 3 situation. Blaise moved to the vulnerable right side with Viktor Krum, the backup tight end, making a crucial block. He picked up the first down for South Panola and cut to the middle for a few more yards to the Mad Dog 17-yard line. Blaise's run gained 12 yards. Ron and Vince brought him down at that point but it seemed like that nothing could stop South Panola's full might bearing down upon them.

On first down from the Mad Dog 17, with 6:51 remaining, Coach Woods called Ray to run an option keerper. The backup quarterback understood the play and returned to the huddle. With 10 seconds on the play-clock, Ray snapped the ball from Johnathan and went to his left. The Tigers' line held easily as Ray went in, effortlessly, to the end zone.

"TOUCHDOWN, SOUTH PANOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the PA exclaimed the celebration of the Tigers' seventh touchdown of the game. South Panola's fight song joyously celebrated their team's latest accomplishment with zeal while the Mad Dog crowd, now reduced by a scattered 1,500, gasped in shock and horror at this awesome display of teamwork from their opponents. The flags flew in the Batesville winter night across the home side of the track.

Ray Tatum has scored on a 17-yard touchdown run with 6:44 left in the third.

The award-winning Mad Dog cheerleaders were rendered silent for South Panola's touchdown.

Ricky Woods then decided to go for a two-point conversion to add in on the fun. Voodoo Tatum then handed it off to Blaise up the middle and went in, successfully, for the two-point conversion.

Coach Barkin angrily shook his head in disbelief. This was the first time in his coaching tenure that his Mad Dogs allowed more than 50 points in a single game.

The score was now South Panola 52, Middleton 7.

--MID ball--

Coach Woods looked at his roster. He had all of this talent in his second and third-string teams. So he decided to mix in a couple of his third-stringers into his kickoff team.

Ron and Carver went back to return. Number 7 was thinking of playing his harmonica to describe this unexpected dilema of being so close to the trophy, yet, so far after the game.

Ted kicked it off to the Mad Dog 8 yard-line before it landed in the hands of Carver. The wideout shifted to the right and broke one tackle before ending up with a 20-yard return to the Mad Dog 28 before Junior Silverio and Blaise came up with the stop.

The Tigers' second-team defense returned to the field and the Mad Dog starters, surprisingly, remained onto the field as 6:36 remained in the third and that South Panola was soundly ahead by 52 to 7.

On first and 10 from the 28, Ron then got the draw from Stan in the I-formation and picked up 2 yards as Justin Wilkes, the brother of Jarred, brought Number 7 down to the turf at the Mad Dog 30.

Stan went back to pass on 2nd and 8. Ron went from his tailback position and caught the pass from Stan at the 34 and went down to the Mad Dog 40 for a gain of 10 yards before Voodoo Tatum brought him down at that point. It was the first time the Mad Dogs moved the chains in the second half with 6:08 left in the quarter.

On first down at the 40, the field general went in a shotgun formation with Ron as the single back. Devon snapped the ball and Stan dropped back to pass. He was trying to find Milo Kamalani as his intended target and threw in his direction but the pass fell short of Milo.

Stan tried to find an open receiver on second down. With the receivers covered, he called his own number and scrambled to the Mad Dog 43 for 3 yards before Terrance Corley contained him.

On 3rd and 7, Barkin put in an extra receiver with Lance Jackson in for Oliver Wood. The mud-stained jersey of number 4 went back to pass and tried to find an open receiver. Vincent and Nelson were closing in on him. Stan had no choice but to throw the ball away.

So, with 5:21 remaining in the quarter, the Mad Dogs had to punt.

David punted the ball from his 43 to the Tigers' 19 for a 38-yard punt. Voodoo Tatum stayed away from the punt for the Mad Dogs surrounded the ball. They downed it right there at South Panola's 19-yard line with 5:10 left in the period.

--SP ball--

Ricky Woods looked at his depth chart and remembered back to a couple of days ago before Game 6. He remembered how his kicker, Ted Thompson, was passing and finding his receivers. Even for a sophomore, he had a good throwing arm. So, he brought Voodoo Tatum to the sidelines.

"Tatum, can you play wideout?" Coach Woods asked his backup QB?

"Sure, Coach." Ray nodded his head. He was a part of the practice with Ted and caught several balls from him.

"Ted," Coach Woods told his sophomore kicker, "you're up as quarterback. Ready, son?"

"Ready, Coach!" Ted responded as he snapped his helmet on. He became the third quarterback for South Panola.

Number 6 came into the huddle as the field general while Voodoo Tatum came in for Anthony Butler as a wideout. Ricky Griffin replaced Blaise at tailback.

Half of the Mad Dog subs replaced the starters: Tracey Sketchit, Jamie Davis, Ladarius Jones, Brock Kelley, and Wyatt Williams.

Calling the play, Ted came under center. He dropped back to pass and found Voodoo Tatum, wide open. Ray caught the pass from Ted at the Tiger 30 near the sidelines. Sensing that Ron was going to hit him, Ray went out of bounds at the Tiger 39 for a 20-yard gain and the clock stopped with 4:55 left in the third.

Ted felt very comfortable being the quarterback for one of the most dominant programs in the nation.

On first down from South Panola's 39-yard line, Ted handed the ball off to Rickey up the middle for his first carry. The 10th grader and brother of Darius picked up 1 yards on the ground for South Panola to the 40 as Brock and Mikey made the stop.

Ash carried up the middle on 2nd and 9 but was stopped behind the line by Ladarius for a loss of 3 yards to the Tiger 37.

Coach Barkin then called the first of his second-half timeouts as 3:46 remained, but he knew it was completely hopeless against a team like South Panola tonight.

When the timeout expired, the Tigers returned to the huddle.

On 3rd and 12 from the Tiger 37, Ted kept the ball on the option. He was able to pick up 2 yards to the Tiger 39 before Butters put him down there.

Ash punted 32 yards to the Mad Dog 29 where it was downed by South Panola.

--MID ball--

The Mad Dog starters were still out with 3:20 remaining while South Panola was mixing in its second and third stringers. Stan was still the quarterback but he knew that he was going to be replaced in the final quarter.

Ron tried to run around the right end on first down but was stuffed instantly by two blue Tiger jerseys, Terrance and Junior. Numbers 57 and 54 wrapped up the tailback for a loss of 4 yards to the Mad Dog 25.

On a long 2nd and 14, Stan tried to pass to Ladrecius but Rakim Austin tipped his pass as it fell incomplete.

Stan then called in 4 wideouts on 3rd and 14 as Milo and Lance came in. The Tigers were showing six defensive backs. Stan snapped the ball with 5 seconds on the play clock and threw all he can up in the air. Lance, his intended target had the ball ..... then dropped it for an incomplete pass.

So the Mad Dogs would have to punt ..... again with 2:29 remaning in the quarter.

Ron, with frustration running down from his face, returned to his team's box. He hung his head low in sheer humiliation. Kim looked at her distraught boyfriend and prepared to include this as well in her new blues song.

David punted from the Mad Dog 25 to South Panola's 33 yard-line for a 42-yard punt where it was downed by the Mad Dogs.

--SP ball--

The Tigers and new quarterback Ted Thompson returned, along with a few new players in its huddle: Todd Snap at the fullback position, Cecil Jacobs as the new tight end, Kendrick McGee as a new wideout, and Neville Longbottom and Martez House on the offensive line. Around 2:17 remained in the third.

Coach Barkin decided that he has had it up to here with tonight's poor performance from his starters, so he brought in his entire second-team defense.

On first and 10 from the Tiger 33, Ted handed the ball off to Rickey up the middle and made his way to the Tiger 38 for a 5-yard pickup before Kyle Broflovski was able to bring him down.

Ted dropped back to pass on 2nd and 5 and found Tristian for a gain of 11 yards to the Tiger 49. Wyatt made his first stop by bringing Tristian to the turf, but it also helped move the sticks for the Tigers again.

On first and 10 from the 49, Ted tried to pass but the Mad Dog pressure finally got to the quarterback for the first time tonight. Clyde Donovan got to Ted for a sack at the Tiger 42, which resulted in a loss of 7 yards on the play.

Still, the Tigers refused to give up with 55 seconds left in the quarter. Coach Woods called in another pass play. Ted understood what it meant and returned to the huddle. The Mad Dogs were still expecting the Tigers to run.

At least that's what they though.

Ted snapped the ball and found Kendrick McGee at the Mad Dog 41. Kendrick caught the ball to the right side of the field, broke one tackle, and cut through the middle to the Mad Dog 24.

Tara was shaking her head. Tonight, to her, felt like a headache that cannot be cured.

Jamie Davis and Oliver Oken were both able to bring Kendrick to the artificial turf, but the pass play from Ted to Kendrick gained 34 yards.

To close out the third period, Ted then handed the ball off to Todd for his first carry of the ballgame and bulled through the middle of the Mad Dog defense for a gain of 8 yards to the Mad Dog 16. The two white Mad Dog jerseys of Tracey Sketchit and Kenny McCormick were able to force the stop upon the third-string fullback.

As the buzzer signaled the end of the third quarter, most of the Mad Dog fans have already left en masse from the visitor's side. Only 1100 remained, along with the band.

Kim was hanging her pom-poms low in defeat as the prevailing Batesville winds blew very hard through the gold paper-maiche.

Ron, still sitting on the sidelines, whispered to himself. _This game is so sick and wrong on so many levels that I don't know where to begin._

Most of the fans could agree with him.

The score at the end of the third quarter of Game 6 was the South Panola Tigers 52, and the Middleton Mad Dogs 7.


	123. Game 6 Quarter 4: The Poisioned Apple

With the final quarter of the sixth game dawning upon the Mad Dogs, the worst nightmare was still continuing for any fan that remained on the visitor's side, the football players, coaches, and cheerleaders alike. Already pinned down, 52-7, the Tigers are still looking for more from the Mad Dogs 16.

Kim's spirit ribbon unfurled due to the hard winds and fell to the cold gravel track and into the turf.

Ted was still under center, enjoying his new position as quarterback in addition to being the kicker.

On 2nd and 2 from the Mad Dog 16, Ted handed the ball off to Ricky to the right side. Ricky broke through one tackle and got all the way to the Mad Dog 3 for a gain of 13 on the play before Wyatt and Kyle got to him first.

Then, Ethan Robinson, another backup running back for South Panola, came into the game for Ricky with 11:48 remaining in the game. Coach Barkin put his second-team defense in the goal-line formation.

Spike Hammersmith and Duke Devlin came in as the extra tight ends for Kendrick and Tristian.

Ethan then got his first handoff from Ted and cut through the Mad Dog defense up the middle on his way to the end zone.

"TOUCHDOWN, SOUTH PANOLA!!!!!!!!!" the PA yelled from the mic.

Ethan Robinson's 3-yard touchdown run with 11:31 left in the game increased the Tiger lead even further.

Ted attempted the PAT but it was blocked by Clyde.

The score was now South Panola 58, Middleton 7.

Ron took one glance of the scoreboard from the sidelines and buried his hands under his face in frustration.

--MID ball--

With the Mad Dog starters benched for the remainder of the game, Coach Barkin then turned to his second-string offense for some time in. Not willing to risk another turnover under Stan's leadership tonight, he turned to Axel Brodie, his backup quarterback, and put him in.

The Mad Dogs were in complete garbage mode now.

Ted, along with many new faces on the kickoff team, prepared to kick the ball away. By this time, some of the fans have already left the game.

Back to return the kick for the Mad Dogs were Jonesy Garcia and Zeke Baylor. Ted kicked the ball off from the Tiger 40 in the cold winds. Jonesy fielded the kick from the Mad Dog 2 and went to the Mad Dog 22 for 20 yards before the third-string defensive back, Kesrick Humphrey, stopped him at that point.

Coach Woods immediately sent in his entire third-string defense for South Panola while Barkin sent in his second-team offense onto the field, led by Axel. Dwayne Robertson was the new tailback for the Mad Dogs.

On first down from their own 22 with 11:22 left in the game, Axel got his first snap from backup center Boomer Bledsoe and gave the ball off to the only starter still remaining in the huddle, the fullback: Troy Bolton. Troy went up the middle to the Mad Dog 24 for 2 yards. The two blue jerseys of number 68 Eric Cartman and number 62 Piers Polkiss both combined on the stop.

Second and 8 saw Axel taking the snap himself. He managed to pick up 6 yards to the Mad Dog 30 before Draco Malfoy tackled him short of the first-down mark.

On 3rd and 2, Axel handed the ball off to Dwayne Robertson to the left side. Dwayne was able to break free of one tackle and pick up the first down. Then he got a couple of good blocks and the run went for 14 yards to the Mad Dog 44. Making the stop for South Panola was Laroyis Thomas, a freshman cornerback. This moved the chains for a Mad Dog first down with 10:05 remaining in the ballgame.

Axel dropped back to pass for the first time in the ballgame. He spotted his intended target, Michael McKenzie and threw in his direction. Michael caught the pass and gained 7 yards into South Panola territory at the 49. Ethan Robinson, the Tiger who scored the last touchdown, brought him down.

The backup quarterback then called his own number with 9:37 left in the game on 2nd and 3 and went to his left. Axel accumulated 9 more yards, got the first down, and got to the Tiger 40 before Kesrick and Ethan combined on the tackle.

Jimmie Zara came in for Troy at the fullback position with 9:08 remaining. Dwayne got the next handoff up the middle for a 5-yard pickup to South Panola's 35-yard line. A swarm of blue Tiger jerseys was on him. Casey Harris was the first to register the tackle for the Tigers.

Chad Danforth then came in for Dwayne at tailback. Axel went back to throw and found Chad on a short pass. With the catch-and-run, Chad lunged his way to the Tiger 29 for a gain of 6 yards and narrowly picked up the first down, but there was little to cheer about as Timothy Davis came up with the stop for the Tigers.

Axel then handed the ball to Chad on a counter. The second-team Mad Dog O-line held and Chad picked up a couple of excellent blocks from Seamus Finnegan and Weevil Underwood. He cut through the defense for an 11-yard gain to South Panola's 18-yard line. Todd and Draco combined to stop him before Chad picked up another first down.

Chad carried once again for the Mad Dogs from Axel. He shifted to the left and found a couple of nice blocks for an 8-yard pickup to the Tiger 10 with 7:56 left. Kesrick was the first to bring down Chad to the turf.

The Mad Dogs finally came to first and goal from the South Panola 10 as Axel gave another handoff to Chad. He dived into the pile of Tiger jerseys and picked up a hard-earned 3 yards. Scut Farkas, number 56 for South Panola, made the tackle at the Tiger 7.

Axel then gave the ball off to Jimmie Zara up the middle on a blast play on 2nd-and-goal. Jimmie picked up 3 yards on his first carry of the ballgame. Trent Boyett and Eric both contributed with the stop.

On 3rd and goal, Chad got another handoff from Axel and swifted to his right. He dived over Trent on his way into the end zone as 6:30 showed on the game clock.

"Touchdown, Middleton." the PA said through the intercom system.

Only 800 Mad Dog fans were present to hear the call. Kim only gave a sigh with a brief wave of her pom-poms in the air. The "celebration" came far too late.

Chad Danforth scored on a 4-yard touchdown run after the drive took five minutes.

Jimmie's run to attempt the two-point conversion was no good.

The score was now: South Panola 58, Middleton 13.

--SP ball--

With three of the Tiger quarterbacks already registering stats and leading touchdown drives, Ricky Woods spotted the number four quarterback he has on his roster: Xavier Connor.

Coach Woods nodded his head to Xavier to return the kickoff. Xavier grabbed his helmet and the number 3 jersey came onto the field for South Panola, preparing to return the kick and to be the quarterback for the remaining 6:20.

Xavier and Quinterious Lee were awaiting the kick. Charlie kicked the football into the night sky where Xavier fielded the kick from the Tiger 3. The sophomore quarterback advanced to the South Panola 29 for a 26-yard return. Bridon Guermo was given credit on the special teams tackle for the Mad Dogs.

South Panola then brought in their third-string offensive linemen and wideouts to complement their fourth field general of the game. Moe Dixon and Quinterious were the new running backs for South Panola.

Coach Barkin called in some of his third-string defense.

On first down from the Tiger 29, Xavier gave the handoff to Moe up the middle. The freshman fullback only picked up 1 yard on the play before Corey Baxter stuffed him at the Tiger 30.

Xavier kept the ball on the quarterback option on 2nd and 8. He swerved to the left. Scut Farkas and Red Herring got key blocks and opened up a hole. The sophomore quarterback slashed his way to the South Panola 40-yardline for 10 yards. Josh Mankey was the first to tackle Xavier down but the run was good enough for another South Panola first down.

With the play clock running down to 4 seconds, Xavier then handed it off to Quinterious. He swerved to his right as Gary Oak and Chumley Huffington opened up a running lane. Quinterious took it and picked up the first down. Jonesy Garcia and Zeke Baylor came in and contained Quinterious at the Mad Dog 46. He gained around 14 yards on the play.

On first down after Quinterious' run, he got the carry again from Ben. However, Quinterious was brought down by Jackson Stewart, a third-string linebacker, behind the line to the Mad Dog 48 for a loss of 2 yards.

Coach Woods then recalled Quinterious for Bordario Jackson with 4:32 left in the game.

Bordario got his first carry from Xavier on a toss play on 2nd-and-12. He was instantly hit hard by Josh for a loss of 4 yards to the Tiger 48. But all it did was to sap more time off the clock

On 3rd-and-16, Xavier called his own number and went to the right side. Tino Tonitini stopped him for no gain and the Tigers had to punt the ball off.

Ash went back to punt and kicked the ball to the Mad Dog 20. Back to return the kick was Gerald Johanssen. From that point, Gerald swerved by one tackler and a second. He made his way to the Mad Dog 47 on an excellent punt return of 27 yards. Xavier was given credit on the special teams tackle.

--MID ball--

The second-team Mad Dog offense then brought in both of the Tweebs, Jim and Tim Possible, as the new wideouts with 3:21 left in the game.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 47, Axel prepared to snap the ball from Boomer, the backup center. However, the ball was in a high snap and Axel was unable to handle the snap as the pigskin fell from his hands. The ball fell to the Mad Dog 42 and was ruled as a fumble. The backup quarterback dove on the football first before any blue Panola jersey touched on it, but he lost 5 yards in the process.

The next play called on 2nd and 15 from the 42 was a Gadget reverse play. Axel gave the ball off on a reverse to Tim, the left wideout. He pitched it out to Tim, who was 8 yards behind the line. South Panola immediately snuffed out the play as Trent Boyett brought him down at the 34.

Then another bad thing happned that had plagues the Mad Dogs all night long: before Tim's knees fell to the ground, the ball squirted out of his hands by Trent and fell to the turf as another fumble. Scut Farkas dived on the loose ball and recovered it for South Panola at the Mad Dog 32.

A whole host of Tiger defenders signaled that it was South Panola's ball and the referee confirmed it: it is Tiger football at the Mad Dog 32.

It was the seventh Mad Dog turnover and the fifth lost fumble of the ballgame.

Tim fell to his knees and pounded his fist against the turf. It felt like that he not only failed his team but he also failed to live up to his family's motto "Anything is possible for a Possible." Even with all those inventions that he and Jim have made, he could not hold onto the football in a game that was already out of the Mad Dogs' grasp.

Kim just sat on the gravel track as she stared at her giant golden pom-poms. When she heard her brother's name being called for losing the football, it was a personal stake that was being driven through her heart. Because it affected her brother, she decided to include this in her blues song as well.

Jim, his twin brother and teammate, patted Tim's pads and helped him to the Mad Dog sidelines.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders just stood in a paralyzed silence when Kim's brother caused the seventh turnover of the ballgame.

--SP ball--

Now, 2:40 remained in the game and the Tigers' third-team offense came back into the huddle, deep into Middleton territory. Norton Williams came into the game as the new running back for South Panola.

The Mad Dogs' third-string defense came in.

Xavier gave the ball off to Norton on 1st and 10 from Middleton's 32. Norton charged through the Mad Dog defensive line but Bridon Guermo busted through and held him to no gain.

On 2nd and 10, Xavier got the option but was tackled from behind by Buzz Winters, number 76 for the Mad Dogs, at the Mad Dog 30. Also, the ball from Xavier came loose. Number 74, Chris Griffin was able to come up with the recovery at the 30 with 1:59 left in the game.

--MID ball--

The Mad Dogs prepared their final drive of one of the most horrible football experiences they've ever had at their own 30.

Axel returned to the huddle with his second-stringers. Jimmie and new tailback Zeke Baylor lined up behind him. A couple of third-string offensive linemen were also in as well.

Coach Woods emptied out what Tigers have yet to play in this blowout game.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 30, Axel went to pass and found the other Tweeb, Jim Possible. Wanting to atone for his brother's earlier mistake, he caught Axel's short pass and picked up 9 yards to the Mad Dog 39. Rashad Gleaton, seeing his first action tonight, took Jim down at that point.

Zeke then got his first handoff on 2nd and 1. Struggling his way up the middle, he picked up 3 yards for the first down. Scut tackled him down at the Mad Dog 42 with 1:25 remaining in the game.

Axel then gave the ball off to Zeke again to the right side. He picked up 6 yards to the Mad Dog 48 before Xavier and Percy Femur contributed in on the stop. The clock went down to 1:01 remaining.

Jimmie Zara then tried the fullback handoff up the middle but Todd Flanders, a freshman Tiger linebacker, contained Jimmie behind the line for a loss of 1 yard to the Middleton 47.

On the final play of the game, Zeke got the handoff from Axel and moved to the left. He was put down to the turf by Scut for a loss of 4 yards to the Mad Dog 43.

A couple of seconds later, Game 6, the horrible nightmare for the Mad Dogs that seemed to never end, was now over. The buzzer blared from the Tiger stadium.

Through the gleam of the blue flourescent stadium lights, Kim stared at the silver glare of her harmonica. It would be the only refuge for her from the massacre that occurred over a span of two and a half hours.

Some of the Mad Dog players, including Ron and the Tweebs walked slowly while hanging their heads down to the lowest point..... ever. They know that Coach Barkin would have a prolonging post-game berating speech in store for them.

Camille, still utilizing her charade, carried the appearance of a defeated cheerleader. Deep down inside, however, she was a poisoned apple ready to strike at a now-vulnerable Kim and Bonnie. But she had to gain the involvement of Carmelita and Sandi, as Dr. Leon instructed, by revealing her powers to them.

A downtrodden Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and the rest of the Mad Dog cheer squad picked their pom-poms back in their bags.

The final score of Game 6 was: the South Panola Tigers 58, the Middleton Mad Dogs 13.


	124. Shellshock

The remains of the Mad Dog fandom from the visiting side departed from the bleachers.

In the visiting press box, Felix sighed as he closed his laptop.

"John, can you give the SP announcer the Game 6 stats?" Felix asked of his partner. The glowing yellow bulbs of the scoreboard gave their stare at the statistician.

"Sure, Felix." John answered when he gathered up the papers. He walked to the other side of the bleachers where the home press box was.

The public announcer announced what has happened for anyone who remained in the stadium.

"The final score for Game 6 is your South Panola Tigers 58 and the Middleton Mad Dogs 13.

"For your Tigers on the ground, Evan "Tiger-Claw" Barksdale had 78 yards on five carries and one touchdown;Darius Griffin had 74 yards on five carries and one touchdown; Dontrell Avery had 55 yards on four carries and one touchdown; Deangelo Young had 54 yards on eight carries and one touchdown; Ray Tatum had 50 yards on two carries and one touchdown; Karl Branting had 39 yads on one carry; Ricky Griffin had 19 yards on three carries; Blaise Zabini had 13 yards on two carries; Quinterious Lee had 12 yards on two carries; Xavier Connor had eight yards on three carries; Todd Snap had eight yards on one carry; Ash Ketchum had seven yards on four carries; Ethan Robinson had three yards on one carry and one touchdown; Moe Dixon had one yard on one carry; Norton Williams had no yards on one carry; Bordario Jackson had minus four yards on one carry; and Ted Thompson had minus five yards on two carries. In all, your Tigers had 412 yards on 46 carries and six touchdowns.

"The Tigers used 17 different players to carry the football.

"For the Mad Dogs on the ground, Ron Stoppable has 79 yards on 15 carries and one touchdown; Chad Danforth had 26 yards on four carries and one touchdown; Dwayne Robertson had 19 yards on two carries; Ladario Weathers had 13 yards on four carries; Axel Brodie had 10 yards on three carries; Zeke Baylor had seven yards on three carries; Jimmie Zara had two yards on two carries; Troy Bolton had minus five yards on five carries; Carver Descartes had minus eight yards on one carry; Tim Possible had minus ten yards on one carry; and Stan Marsh had minus 12 yards on nine carries. In all the Mad Dogs had 121 yards on 49 carries and two touchdowns.

"For your Tigers through the air, Young was three of six for 61 yards and one touchdown; Tatum's only pass was picked off; and Thompson was three for three for 65 yards. In all, your Tigers were six of 10 for 126 yards and one touchdown with one pick.

Karl Branting had two catches for 30 yards; Griffin had one catch for 31 yards and one touchdown; Kendrick McGee had 34 yards on one catch; Tatum had one catch for 20 yards, and Tristian Gray had 11 yards on one catch.

"For the Mad Dogs through the air, Marsh was three of 12 for 28 yards and two picks and Brodie was three for three for 22 yards. In all the Mad Dogs were six of 15 for 50 yards and two picks.

The Mad Dogs also fumbled eight times and lost five of them.

Carver Descartes had 18 yards on two catches; Stoppable had 10 yards on one catch; Jim Possible had nine yards on one catch; Michael McKenzie had seven yards on one catch and Danforth has six yards on one catch.

"For total offense, South Panola has 538 yards on 56 plays while Middleton had 171 yards on 64 plays.

"Your Tigers also forced seven turnovers in the ballgame. The series is now tied at three games apiece.

"Please drive home safely. The seventh, and final game of the MHSAA football series, is here in Batesville on Friday night. So come out and support our Tigers!!!!

"GOOOOOO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!"

______________________________________________________________________________

The two teams shook hands on the field.

Thus, the Mad Dog football team headed back to the visiting side of the fieldhouse, preparing for all the fury of Coach Barkin's rage.

Bonnie was picking up whatever was left of the pom-poms when she spotted Kim's unraveled spirit ribbon, fluttering in the grassy turf. Thinking of what had happened to Caitlin and now to her beloved Mad Dog football team, she picked it up.

The brunette turned around and found Kim. She rushed up to the beleagued captain, clutching the spirit ribbon tight. "Kim? K? You dropped this!" She handed the ribbon to Kim.

"Thanks, B. I....I still can't believe that Panola can do this to us! And we have one game left ....... one chance to prove to the entire nation that we can do the impossible: win the series." Kim sighed, walking on the tough gravel undeneath her. Her muscles were aching from carrying two bags of pom-poms on her shoulders.

"And that running game! It's really getting on my .........." Bonnie started to rant about how the Tigers' running game has easily made the Mad Dogs' defense into mincemeat before hearing the familiar four beeps from Kim's Kimmunicator. Then, Bonnie's eyes opened wide, reminding her that they had another problem to tend to. "Oh, my God!!!!! Caitlin!!!!"

Kim, also hearing the beeps as well, immediately pulled her Kimmunicator out. Wade's face appeared on-screen. She was so focused on the game that she almost forgot the other problem that she has to deal with: Caitlin being in Juvenille Hall with an murderous ex-cheer captain waiting to deal with her once she's convicted.

"Wade, what's the latest on the sitch with Caitlin?" Kim asked about the fate of her befallen cheerleading friend.

"It's not looking good at all!! Caitlin's still in Juvie and we've got a smaller timeframe to work with!! Not only did she get the official ban from Club Banana by Martin Smarty himself, but also the black dress that she 'shoplifted' had the golden sash studded with diamonds taken from it ...... was worth around $5,000. And it was Martin's personal favorite as well because he was going to present it to Artie's girlfriend for the Winter Formal! So, he is now asking to bypass state laws to hold -her trial....... on Friday!" Wade told the bad news to both cheerleaders, "And this means that she could stay in Juvenille Hall until ........ 21!!!!!"

"Wait, K! Didn't Tara say at halftime that-that.....monster Veruca is going to do to Caitlin if she is sentenced until 21?" Bonnie stumbled on the question before connecting the two together. "Kim!!!! Wade's right!! We know that Mr. Smarty doesn't show any mercy to people who shoplift! In other words, he doesn't know that Caitlin's life is at stake here! He could be making a very huge mistake !!!!!!!"

Kim was more and more worried at this, "Wade, we have to get in touch with Mr. Smarty and convince him that she is _not_ the thief before he plays judge, jury, and executioner against her!!!"

"On it, Kim!!!" Wade saluted as he immediately typed in Mr. Smarty a letter saying that Caitlin wasn't the one who shoplifted from the store.

After doing that, he looked at the computer sceen with interest, "I've analyzed the entire store of CB again for extra clues, and I found one thing that was quite fishy and familiar."

"At the same time?" Kim finally flashed a grin for the first time in several hours. She needed it since her team got blown out by 45 points.

Wade nodded his head and uploaded the data of Club Banana's floor plans as it scanned to the rack where the incident occurred. "Underneath it, I found someting familiar." He zoomed and panned in to the floor of the rack where the black dresses were. It was three shreds of dead human skin.

Bonnie, upon seeing the sight of those dead skin cells, recoiled in terror briefly. "Kim, aren't those those awful and disgusting dead skin that we found at your house a few days ago?"

Kim peered a little closer to the screen and studied the skin cells that Wade analyzed. She bulged out her eyes. They _were_ the same skin cells that were found at the Possible house.

"And I've also received another shocking development.... " Wade stunningly declared, looking in amazement at his computers, "You know those straight blonde hairs with that awful hairspray that you and Bonnie found at the Possible house? Well, take a look at this!" He swiveled his computer around to display a map of the town. A blinking red light hypnotized both Kim and Bonnie. "I have deducted the origin of the hairspray. It comes from a parent company of Le Goop."

"The same hair gel that Senor Senior Junior uses?" Kim remembered with a smile what her former nemesis uses to style his hair. At the mere mention of Junior's name, Bonnie swooned with love and imagined his prescence beside her.

"Yes! But Le Goop also made a very expensive hairspray for girls that is capable of giving off a very strong and scenty smell of $100 dollar bills. And it is very rare to find, except in London and Paris. I have also traced the last known buyer to the west side of town!"

"You mean the ritzy glamorous part where those brats live?" Kim deducted in a question, knowing that only the most spoiled and pampered of children reside in that area of Hattiesburg, right close to the Middleton city limits on the western side.

"Exactly!" Wade agreed, turning to Kim, "If the perpetrator came from the west side of town, then I bet that's where your mom's pendant will be located in!" He then frowned when he stopped typing. "But I can't seem to get into the gated community's security camera system. It is one of the most elaborate systems that I've experienced in my life. It's going to take me around 12 hours to break through the system!"

"Thanks, Wade! I think our chances of both freeing Caitlin from Juvie and finding my mom's pendant just got a whole lot better! The person who did both of these acts will be behind bars soon enough!" Kim smiled.

Wade then warned her "You have to hurry, though! Friday is the trial and Caitlin's life is on the line!"

Kim nodded her head but then turned to the 58 to 13 score. She still has one final series game to cheer, the one that could bring a shock to nation.

"But, Wade, there's still a series going on! And we just got clobbered!" Kim told him of the football sitch they've just gone through.

Wade understood, "I know! Heard it on streaming radio on the net! It was ...... very shocking! Hope y'all win Game 7! Still, we have to get Caitlin out of prison ..... and fast!!!! We're not giving up!!!"

The screen then cut back to the KP logo.

______________________________________________________________________________

Camille was leaning against one of the cheer buses. She was trying to find a way to expel Kim and permanately end her captainship. The deb didn't care about the final score or the downtrodden looks of the football players, cheerleaders, and the fans. She only cared about kicking Bonnie and Kim off the team for something they didn't do and, in the process, send them to prison..... once and for all.

She got her wish!

Mrs. Johnson was weeping with tears next to the front cheer bus. She was clutching a golden locket encrusted with diamonds on it. And in that locket contained a picture of her young daughter, Nina, aged 14. She continued to stare at that photo as her teary eyes made The cheer coach was crying because it had been three years on that day since Nina was tragically killed in a car accident one afternoon by a drunken driver twice accused of DUIs.

Katie still carried the scars of that crash. But her daughter, the one that she usually greeted every single sunny morning with her green eyes, was completely irreplaceable. And the 45-point Middleton loss to South Panola didn't help things either for when the final buzzer rang at 9:58pm, it was the very exact moment that Nina was pronounced dead at the scene of the fatal crash..

Camille, who was a good 100 feet away from the coach, smiled with glee. _Hmmm..... that locket can fetch around 20 to 30 grand on the black market. It may not be as much as that diamond pendant that I stole from the Possibles a week ago, but it'll suffice! And being that Mrs. Johnson is the cheer coach, the punishment that she would dish out if her locket is stolen is going to be quite severe. Maybe if I use my shapeshifting ability as Kim and steal the locket, I could kick her off the squad AND send her to jail at the same time!! Yes!!!!!!! This is what I need to wipe Kim off the squad roster once and for all!!!! Once I gain the trust of those two brute cheerleaders when I reveal my powers, I shall make sure Kim and Bonnie will join their beloved Caitlin in Juvie until they're 21!!! But I don't want to steal it tonight! No! First, I reveal the powers tonight, then steal the locket tomorrow!_

The locket that Mrs. Johnson was mourning over her fallen daughter was Camille's next valuable to steal.

______________________________________________________________________________

Place: South Panola locker room

Coach Woods addressed his players.

"You have performed very well for our fans. We were on the verge of elimination, but we pulled through as a team and came out with one of the best performances I've seen on our turf. Now, it isn't over yet! We still have Game 7 to go through and we are going to give everything we've got before the entire nation. Now, let's rest up and enjoy this victory tonight!!!!!"

The Panola players yelled excitedly as they said their team prayer and prepared to head out of the home side of the fieldhouse, victory in hand.

______________________________________________________________________________

Place: Visiting locker room

Ron groaned in the visiting side of the Tiger fieldhouse as Barkin continued his rant. He grimaced at the sight of his fellow Mad Dog teammates with their heads hanging low for the third time in two weeks.

The sight of the locker room was very grim. Most didn't want to even hear

"What the HELL is WRONG with YOU?!?!?! You have HUMILIATED ME **AND **THE COACHES!!!!!!!!!! IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE DAMN MAD DOG NATION!!!!!!! And now we stand on the verge of LOSING this series!!!!! The stat of seven turnovers is COMPLETELY unforgivable!!!!! We are going to practice on offense like never before tomorrow MORNING until we get everything RIGHT!!!!!!!!" Barkin yelled at his team, pointing out the flaws of both his offense and defense in Game 6. "Now I do NOT want to see this HORRIBLE SHITTY perfomance from you ....... EVER AGAIN!!!!!!! You GOT THAT?!?!?!?!

"Yes, sir" was all that the Mad Dog players said with a whimper.

Barkin concluded his berating, "I want to see your ASSES on the buses in 10 minutes! Let's forget about this performance and concentrate all we have on Game 7! It is our LAST CHANCE to show South Panola what Mad Dog Football is made of! I want y'all to huddle up!" He tilted his head towards Ron.

"Stoppable, do what you do best!" Barkin reminded him of his captain duties.

With a fiery passion, Ron nodded his head. He immediately called in a huddle with the rest of the team:

"Even though we are beaten down tonight, we will NOT give up. We will NOT submit to the Tigers! We are the Middleton Mad Dogs!!! And we will come back to Middleton with the MHSAA Football Series Trophy!!!!!!"

The Mad Dogs were fired up once again. Ron proved that even in the midst of a defeat as this, MHS still refuses to give up.

Yet, it was going to be a very bumpy and difficult road ahead.

______________________________________________________________________________

The cheerleaders boarded their buses to return back to the hotel to prepare for the final Game 7 on Friday.

Mrs. Johnson was driving the first bus, wiping away a tear for the third anniversary of the loss of her beloved daughter.

Camille was in the second bus, all alone. She then prepared to orchestrate the next phase of her plan, and the riskiest to this point: revealing herself before Sandi and Carmelita.

She then got out her phone.

_Meet me in my room: 310_

_Thanks and hugs_

_Camille _

The two muscular cheerleaders both got the text message.

Sandi and Carmelita did not know that a surprise awaited for them.


	125. The Devil's Transfiguration

Time: 10:20pm

Place: on Charter Bus One

The cold air, once again, filled all three charter buses on their brief 40-minute sojurn back to their hotel in Grenada.

Ron was staring out in the window. The cold window pressed against his face quite hard. He stared at his harmonica, trying to figure out what went wrong during Game 6. It was stuck on the tailback's mind while Barkin lamented on the Mad Dogs' poor performance so much that his voice became sore.

Then, he saw Jim and Tim across the aisle, sobbing hard at the bus window. Looking at their dejected faces, he pulled out the harmonica and blew it through his mouth as his tune began

_The Game 6 Blues_

_by: Ron Stoppable_

_Ohhhhh...... I have the Game 6 blues_

_(Ron: sad wail of the harmonica)_

I have the Game Six Blues

_And as we travel on this bus with this bad news_

_I have the Game Six Blues_

_(Ron: harmonica)  
_

_Verse 1:_

Traveled along I-55

_Wanted to hold that trophy up high_

_But instead_

_All I got was Barkin's face turning angry red_

_When we got beat by fourty-fiiiiivvvveeeee!!!!!!_

_(sad wail of harmonica)_

And when the stats were blared out

_The remaining Mad Dog fans gave a shout_

_Of sudden disbelief_

_(soft harmonica blow)_

_It felt a dagger has been stabbed repeatedly in my heart_

_That we got beat from the start_

_For the third time_

_(harmonica tone increasing)_

_And when we turned over the ball seven times_

_It wouldn't make a rhyme_

_That our sitch was practically hopeless_

_Practically hope-lesssssssssss_

_(very sad wail of the harmonica)_

Refrain:  
The Game Six blues have really worn us down

_The Tigers have kicked out tails out of town_

_Now we travel down the interstate_

_The only bone our Mad Dogs had taste_

_Was the poison of a loss_

_(harmonica)_

_We now have only one last shot_

_To give everything we've got_

_But tonight we took a back seat_

_To the searing blow of defeat_

_That's what happens_

_When we swallow our pride_

_(harmonica)_

_Verse 2_

_We were down by 20_

_I wanted to save my team_

_And impress KP  
By getting the carry_

_(harmonica)_

_But then, a defender hit me _

_The ball bounced off my jersey shirt_

_As it fell to the turf_

_(tears start streaming from his eyes)_

FELLLLL TO THE TURRRRFFFF!!!!!!!

(saddest wail of harmonica)

And one play (sobs) later

_The Tigers scored again_

_It was at that point_

_That our team can't win_

_The game_

_Ohhhhhhh, the game_

_(harmonica)_

_Refrain:  
The Game Six blues have really worn us down_

_The Tigers have kicked out tails out of town (sobs)_

_Now we travel down the interstate_

_The only bone our Mad Dogs had taste_

_Was the poison of a loss (sobs) _

_(harmonica)_

_We now have only one last shot_

_To give everything we've got_

_But tonight we took a back seat_

_To the searing blow of defeat (sobs)_

_That's what happens_

_When we swallow our pride_

_(harmonica)_

_Verse 3_

_Then the final buzzer rang._

_Final score read 58 to 13._

_Nothing prevented our catastrophe._

_We were given nothing but scorn_

_It's worse than Custer's battle_

_At Little Bighorn_

_(harmonica, sobbing)_

_Ohhhhhh, at Little Bighorrrnnnnnn!!!!!!_

_Refrain:  
The Game Six blues have really worn us down_

_The Tigers have kicked out tails out of town (sobs)_

_Now we travel down the interstate _

_The only bone our Mad Dogs had taste _

_Was the poison of a loss (sobs)_

_(harmonica)_

_We now have only one last shot_

_To give everything we've got_

_But tonight we took a back seat_

_To the searing blow of defeat (sobs)_

_That's what happens_

_When we swallow our pride_

_(harmonica)_

_We swallowed our pride (sobs, and soft blow of harmonica)_

We swallowed our ........ pride (blows on harmonica for the last time)

He began to lean his head against the bus in sorrow. Ron sighed with a few tears in his eyes as he put his harmonica back in his bag.

When the buses finally reached the hotel, Ron and the rest of the players unloaded their belongings.

He and Troy were assigned to a room on the second floor.

At midnight, Barkin yelled, "LIGHT'S OUT, MAD DOGS!!!!" to all of the rooms that the players occupied in.

Ron did so and rested his head on the bed, still worrying about his girlfriend. He did not know that she was going to be in trouble ........ deep trouble.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 11:30pm, Wednesday

Place: Holiday Inn of Batesville, room 217 (Kim and Bonnie's room)

"Well, B, we had a rough night but I hope we do pull through for Game 7!" Kim sighed as she sat on the foot of her bed, all pajama-clad.

Bonnie stared out into the trailing red taillights of Interstate 55 from her window. "Wish if Caitlin would be with us and not be stuck in Juvie right now, K. Hopefully, Wade will help us put the pieces together."

"I know, B. It always seems like we're getting one step closer to catching the thief. I just wish if Mr. Smarty would not be so harsh on Caitlin." Kim said with a sigh, "It would be a fatal mistake if Mr. Smarty went ahead with the trial two days from now and that a lawsuit would be upon his hands if anything happened to her."

Bonnie nodded her head as she turned to Kim, "There's still one thing that puzzled me from all of this so far. If the thief hadn't appeared in Club Banana's security cams, then how did she managed to pin the blame on Caitlin?"

Kim shrugged her shoulders. "I think it may have something to do with those chemicals the thief must've injected into herself plus, since my mom's pendant hasn't been found in the other parts of the city, the westen snooty side is our best option. He's finding any loopholes in their security system right now!" She put the covers and blankets up to her shoulders and gave out a loud yawn.

"See ya tomorrow, B!" Kim happily smiled to her friend.

"Night, K!" Bonnie replied back as she turned out the lights.

The two began to sleep peacefully, hoping that they could put this horrible night of football behind them.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Time: 1:55am, Thursday

Place: London's room (room 308)

London rubbed her eyes, for she was the only one in her room. She prepared just to get a simple glass of water from the faucet when she overheard whispers and light footsteps coming from the hallway. Confused of why these people would be out at this time, she grabbed her video camera, the same one used during the Swirles, unlocked the key and tiptoed inside.

Time: 2:00am, Thursday

Place: Camille's room (room 310)

Carmelita and Sandi were mysteriously let into the door as it closed gently to allow a small crack in.

"What are, like, the hell we doing here?" Carmelita whispered to Sandi.

Sandi was as perplexed as Carm was "I, so like, dunno, Sandi. I got this, like, little weird text-message thingy from Camille for the both of us to meet in her room at 2 and tell no one. I'm guessing it could be something so, like, ........... evil!!! Anyways, I'm not like, so, happy with the way Kim performed tonight in 'cheering' for our team. In fact, I didn't like her as captain from the start. Maybe it should be, like, time to............"

A familiar voice interrupted the two in a silent tone, ".......replace her?"

Both Carmelita and Sandi jumped up in surprise before they realized, with a sigh of relief, that it was Camille coming from the bathroom.

Sandi breathed heavily and quitely said, "Camille, it's, like, 2:00 in the morning!! Do you realize what Mrs. Johnson is going to do to us when she realizes that we woke up and sneaked on over to your room?"

Camille snickered. "Hmmmph....who cares about Mrs. Johnson and her stupid rules?! I'm in, like, complete control and weren't y'all dissatisfied with Kim as the captain during Game 6?"

Carmelita agreed and lied through the skin of her teeth, "Yeah, she chickened out on us and we lost by 45 points! She SHOULD be solely responsible for her loss."

"And now," Camille announced to her two cheering friends but kept the tone of voice down, "the time has come for Kim to be finally kicked off the cheering squad ..... once and for all!"

In her moment of jubilant triumph, though, Sandi lightly tapped on her shoulder.

"Like, what is it, Sandi?" Camille asked, folding her arms.

"Uhh, we've tried, like, twice to kick Kim off the team before. Remember her near-expulsion trial with Veruca and what had happened during the Swirlies when Kim kicked Veruca's ass into oblivion?" Sandi warned Camille, but the deb clearly knew what she was talking about.

"Oh, but the third time is, like, going to be, so, the perfect charm." Camille confidently smiled, knowing that the two brutish and muscular cheerleaders were in for a huge surprise.

"Really? What is, like, this 'third time a charn' that you're talking about, Camille?" Carmelita said unimpressively.

"This......." Camille said as she channeled in her shapeshifting powers into a complelte likeliness of Carmelita in an instant, just as Dr. Leon has instructed her

"Oh..................my.............God!!!!" Carmelita stammered in complete shock. She had never seen such a perfect likeliness of herself. It felt like she was going to faint.

Sandi had these same feelings as well.

.

"And, like, that's not all I can do!!!" the Carmelita-clone Camille snickered before turning invisible right before their very eyes.

"This.......is, this is, soooooo!!!!!!!" Sandi prepared to raise her voice but Camille immediately cut her off with a throat-cutting gesture, knowing very damned well that people were still asleep.

"This transfiguartion of my body must, so like, not to be shared with anyone! Not the chaperones, not the other cheerleaders, and not to the other coaches! Got it?" Camille sternly warned the two about the dangers and consequences of revealing her secret out in the open. Then she proceeded to tell them about the plans of the theft of Mrs. Johnson's locket. "Now, here's what we're going to do this afternoon."

The three huddled together in inaudible whispers of the plan to kick Kim off the squad and off the captain position once and for all.

______________________________________________________________________________

Little did they realize that London recorded every single moment of that 10-minute transfiguration. She stood there speechless at what happened. She tiptoed back to her room, which was next door.

She was stunned that her ex-friend has done this self-mutilation to her body.

Scurrying back to her bed quietly, the Tipton heiress could barely sleep through the night for the transfiguration footage overlapped her horrible memories of the Swirlies.

_I have to warn Kim and Bonnie about Camille before the three get to her!!! _she said to herself.

Tomorrow was going to be crucial to Kim, whether she realized this or not.


	126. The Stolen Locket

Time: 10:00am, Thursday

Place: The hotel lobby

All 21 girls gathered in the central lobby of the hotel, geared up to go to South Panola's gym for one last practice before tomorrow night's Game 7. The forecast was going to be very cold with temperatures in the mid-20s for kickoff time with a possibility, a slight one, for some snow flurries. The girls bundled up in their Middleton cheerleading coats and warmups as they prepared for the last practice of the football season.

For Sharpay, it was quite bittersweet for her. It was going to be the very last time that she was going to wear that Mad Dog cheer uniform. She sighed as she stared around the girls, golden pom-poms in their hands.

It was the Mad Dogs' last chance to beat South Panola at their own game, a David and Goliath struggle.

______________________________________________________________________________

In the midst of the commotion, London looked okay from the outside. Deep within, though, she felt a piercing need to warn either Kim or the coaches about what Camille and her two henchwomen was planning to do. But she didn't tell either yet because, while their 'friendship' was made a long time ago, Camille warned London that no one squeals on each other because if one does so against the other then their "friendship" would be terminated. Now, London wasn't living under that stigma anymore but was afraid to shout out what had happened last night.

______________________________________________________________________________

Camille, meanwhile, gave an evil grin as she leaned against a nearby pillar. She observed Kim and Bonnie from a safe distance.

_Heh, everything is going according to my plan. If I time the calculations correctly, my two brutes will perform the distractions necessary to help me steal that locket!_

Mrs. Johnson arrived with the other two cheer coaches. She blew her shrill whistle and the Mad Dog cheerleaders gathered up in the four vans, ready to take them to the gym.

______________________________________________________________________________

-Once there, the Mad Dog cheerleaders began their usual assortment of cheers and routines for the next two hours.

"Let's go, Mad Dogs!!!!!

Let's fight, fight, fight!!!!!

Go Mad Dogs!!!!  
Win that trophy tonight!!!!

*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time: 1:00pm

Their 45-minute lunch break began at a shrill of Mrs. Johnson's whistle . The cheerleaders were supplied pretty well with subs.

Kim was about to eat her lunch when her Kimmunicator suddenly beeped.

"Any updates on Caitlin, Wade?" she asked as she pulled the device out.

Wade was panting heavily and sweating hard. He had been up all late last night, trying to break through the extremely complex security system on the rich and snobby side of town and finally did so at four in the morning.

"Kim...........Kim.........." Wade exasperated. It was obvious that all that typing wore out his system. But he cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I've finally broken through the security system!! I think we may have narrowed down our list of suspects!"

Kim welcomed this news with a triumphant fist.

"That's excellent, Wade!" she smiled before getting to the important matters: who was the person who both framed Tara for armed robbery and framed Caitlin for shoplifting Artie's girlfriend's favorite dress. "But we still can't figure out who did this and Caitlin's trial is tomorrow!"

"I've narrowed the search down to a two-block radius, which will help a lot!" Wade added in. "But most of the girls in this area particularly love that Le Goop fragrance, so finding our suspect is not going to be easy! I'm starting to narrow down the field right .......... now!!!"

"Thanks! Keep me updated!" Kim smiled with a grin as she turned off the Kimmunicator.

______________________________________________________________________________

On the other side of the bleachers, London hasn't seen Camille like this before and she has the evidence to prove it: on her video camera. She holds the one piece of evidence that could bring an end to the spoiled deb and her plans. But because she was bound by that 'friendship' pact with Camille, she was afraid to tell anyone.

She was almost silent and shaking a bit when Bonnie came up to her.

"Hey, L. Ready to ........... uhhhhh, why the silent treatment?" Bonnie asked with concern for her new friend. She was simply astounded that the normally talkative London Tipton would be, all of a sudden, so quiet.

"Bonnie," London whispered, "I saw something last night that you will not believe!" She stared out onto the other side of the bleachers where Camille was picking at the contents of her sub. London analyzed her ex-friend's facial expressions and can tell that she's up to no good. "I think it's best that I should tell you after practice."

"Sure thing, L!" Bonnie nodded in agreement before leving her to finish up her sub.

______________________________________________________________________________

Camille then put her evil plan of taking down Kim into action.

She began to fake out painful grunts and groans and clenched her stomach very tightly to make it appear that she is struggling to get down from the bleachers.

"Ohhhhhhh..........." Camille groaned as loud as she could. It attracted a few of the cheerleaders' attention and eventually the cheer captain, Mrs. Johnson.

The blonde-haired coach sighed, "What is it, Camille?"

Camille, carrying her cheer bag, still continued to groan and moan. "It's........it's the food, Mrs. Johnson!!! May I use the bathroom, please?"

"You may, Camille, but be back soon. We're going to resume practice in 15!" Mrs. Johnson warned to the deb before she headed out into the hallway where the bathrooms were.

As Camille entered the women's bathroom, she checked around to make sure that there were no other girls, and there were none. She got the Leon stopwatch from her cheer bag and Dr. Leon's face appeared.

"Like, yes, Dr. Leon? You rang?" Camille questioned in a quiet tone. "I have 15 minutes before cheer practice resumes!"

"Camille, my darling, there is also the third and final ability that I forgot to mention! It can help you bring down Kim quicker than you thought!" Dr. Leon said with a dreaded evil smile.

"Ooohhh!!! This plan just gets better and better!!!!!! What is it?" she asked with excitement.

"This chemical that I injected in your body when the surgery was performed, Chemical Z19 will guarantee you ........ teleportation! You can teleport yourself from one place to another, so you can execute your plan and get out with ease. Just think of where you want to go and you'll be there immediately, my niece!" he sniveled confidently. Even though Dr. Leon hasn't met Kim personally, he knows some of her exploits and knows that she isn't an easy target for his niece.

Camille, now that she has this teleportation ability in her seeming never-ending arsenal of superpowers, once again thanked her uncle for the surgery. She said her goodbye to him and immediately utilized her newfound teleporting abilities.

An aura of blue mist surrounded her as she teleported from the bathroom to the interior of the cheer van where Mrs. Johnson usually drove.

The deb immediately spotted Mrs. Johnson's purse with her favorite locket inside. She swiped it, snickering as she performed the deed.

_If I put the locket in Kim's bag, it would put all the blame on her and she'll be kicked off the squad!_

Camille turned her head and spotted the cheer bag that had Kim's initials on it: KAP!!

_Perfect!!!!!!!!!_

She changed her fingerprints to Kim's set, stuffed the locket inside Kim's bag and changed her fingerprints back before teleporting herself. The aura blue mist landed her back in the bathroom, just in the nick of time for cheer practice to resume.

Camille returned to the hardwood gym floors, waiting for the fireworks to flare up.


	127. Great Escapes and Puzzles

Time: 4:00pm. Thursday

Place: London's hotel room (room 308)

London was all alone in her room. She stared at her video camera for the last hour. Inside it was the footage needed for her to put an end to Camille's plans. But it also showed how delusional and power hungry her former friend had become. She had heard about what had happened both to Tara and Caitlin but she was still afraid to tell anyone.

_Ohhhhh, I want to tell Bonnie especially about this! But I'm scared!_

The hotel deb laid on her hotel bed, preparing to take a brief hour nap before dinner.

All of a sudden, a knock came on the door of her room!

London scurried back as far as she could on the bed. She slowly got up and shuffle-walked on her way to the door with her hands shaking.

When she opened it, she breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just Bonnie!

______________________________________________________________________________

"Hey, Bonnie, what's up?" London asked with a smile when her tremors subsided. Her heart slowed down its rapid pacing.

"Nothing much, L. So what was this video that you wanted to show me?" Bonnie asked.

London took the video camera and turned it on.

______________________________________________________________________________

The two cheerleaders sat on the bed and peered into the video camera. The screen turned on at the exact moment when Camille appeared before Sandi and Carmelita.

"This, Bonnie, is the point in which all your concepts of reality are shattered." London solemly annouced before fast-forwarding to the part in which Camille transformed into Sandi.

"Oh.....my....oh.......my.........God!!!" Bonnie stuttered speechlessly at the video screen of Camille utilizing her shapeshifting powers to transform into one of her henchmen.

But there was more revelations to come from that video camera of London's. She also had her laptop plugged in, just to communicate with her Tipton parents back home.

London then got another idea coming to her head.

"This next part, I think, you'll be interested in. I've heard and kept up with what had happened to both Tara and I'll turn the sound on my laptop and plug in my video camera's memory so that we'll both listen!" London continued as she ejected the memory card out of her camera and put it in her laptop. She then turned on the media player of her computer and turned up the sound.

Both Bonnie and London witnessed the footage of Camille's transfiguration. After she transformed into Sandi, she then revealed more of her transformations.

_Camille: Now you know, I have, like, framed Tara and Caitlin for crimes that they didn't committ. First (transforms into Tara) I stole that necklace pendant that cost, like, $100,000 and sent Tara to jail for it. (smirks)_

Carmelita: And of Caitlin?

_Camille: (transforms from Tara to Caitlin) She was, like, so simple. I just used my invisibility power (turns invisble for a brief moment then turns back visible) just like this to stuff that dress that Artie loser liked so much for his GF into Caitlin's bag. Her trial's going to be, like, tomorrow and I can't wait to see the look on her face when the judge slaps the guilty verdict on her!!!!!!!_

_Sandi: Sweet!!!! (smirks) And we're going to guess who out next target is?_

Camille: Kim Possible!!!!!!!!

(Sandi and Carmelita cheer)

_Camille: Her captain position will be all mine and you two can get co-captain spots._

_Sandi: Excellent!!!!!!_

The two cheerleaders were stunned by these turn of events, especially Bonnie.

_It's all coming together!!!!!! The theft at the Possibles AND the shoplifting incident at CB!!!!! Camille was behind everything all this time!!! And now, she has the invisibility and shapeshifting powers?!?!?!?! I HAVE to warn Kim about this!!!!!_

"This..... I believe, L, is enough evidence for Caitlin's freedom! Thanks, anyways." Bonnie agreed in affirmation, though the scenes with Camille's transformations blew away any sense of reality that she had.

"Anytime, Bonnie." London smiled. Then she turned to the TV. "Wanna watch the news?"

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders, "Anything that beats any freaky powers is good enough for me."

London smiled and turned on the TV with the remote. The local news was on at the time.

_"......the Senate is expected to vote on the referrendum today. And ...... we've just received breaking news from South Mississippi!!!!!! A prison riot is ongoing at the South Mississippi Juvenille Detention Center!!!!!!!_

The two cheerleaders gasped at the familiar location. Both London and Bonnie gasped in horror because it was where Caitlin was held.

The TV images showed Building Six, which was said to be the most secure site of the juvie facility, being engulfed in flames.

_"Most of the prisoners of the Building 6 facility got out unharmed and are being transferred to more secure facilities. But some have escaped, especially the ex-peanut heiress ........ Veruca Darling Salt!!!!!!!! She is wanted for shooting and wounding a prison guard with a captured pistol and also shot one of the German Shepherds guarding the place. Salt escaped on a captured cop car. Her whereabouts are unknown!! This suspect is very armed and very dangerous!!!!! If you see this fugitive in the area, call............"_

Those two words of Veruca Salt escaping from prison rang extremely deep in the two cheerleaders' ears. And now, the ex-deb was shooting down human beings.

"Oh................my............God!" London whimpered. She could not believe that Veruca has degraded herself to being the animal that she has come.

"We have to warn everyone about this!!!" Bonnie panicked frantically, knowing that Veruca would swear revenge for what they've done to her at the Swirlies, and now, they were out to get her.

The two left their hotel room, and prepared to knock on the door to the rest of the Mad Dog cheerleaders of this horrible news.

Meanwhile, Kim still had another sitch to deal with of her own ........... Mrs. Johnson's stolen locket.


	128. The Blame Game

Time: 4:15pm, Thursday

Place: Kim's Room (217)

Kim was playing on her harmonica, singing about how Game 6 was bringing her team down, especially at the end when her brother Tim lost the ball and how, in a long string of mistakes, it affected her the most because a Possible has never made a mistake like that.

She has not heard the news yet that Camille was behind everything or that Veruca has escaped in a prison riot.

In fact, her Kimmunicator beeped frantically just now, alerting her of the news.

Just as when she was going to get her briefing from Wade, she heard a count of four violent knocks on the door.

She put both her harmonica and her Kimmunicator underneath the sheets as the mad knocking continued.

The door swung suddenly open. Mrs. Johnson appeared before Kim, all steaming mad. Not only that, James and Ann were behind the cheer coach, also giving very angry looks at their sole daughter.

"KIMBERLY ANN POSSIBLE!!!!! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!?!?!" Mrs. Johnson scowled at the top of her lungs. She was holding Kim's cheer duffel bag in one hand, and her locket in the other.

"Mrs.....Mrs. Johnson, I-I did-didn't..............." Kim stuttered.

"You STOLE my locket and stuffed it in your bag!!!!! Carmelita and Sandi told me of your theft!!!!!" the cheer coach fumed with all of her might.

Kim tried to opened her mouth but James silenced her with his angry level of voice. "Young lady, we've taught you all the morals of the world and then ........ you did THIS????????? That's it, you're GROUNDED!!!!!" Anne stood by with a similar glaring look to her daughter.

Mrs. Johnson lowered her anger but still kept her glare on the frightened cheer captain "For committing this act, this calls for the ultimate punishment in the Code...................."  
______________________________________________________________________________

Just before the encounter between Mrs. Johnson and Kim, Bonnie and London raced down the hallway, knocking on the doors to some of the Mad Dog cheerleaders including Tara, Liz and Crystal and to Mrs. Newman's room as well.

London also armed herself with her video camera and memory unit. She, now quick and determined, showed all of them what Camille had done with her powers and that Veruca has escaped.

They got to Kim's room narrowly in time, just as when Mrs. Johnson levied her punishment against Kim.

"STOPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!" Tara exclaimed in a shrill voice. The angry room was now silenced by the angelic cheerleader's outburst. "Kim didn't steal your locket, Mrs. Johnson!!!!!"

Kim's worries melted away after hearing those words. _Thanks, Tara._

"That's right!" Bonnie said before handing London's video camera to Mrs. Johnson. She set down Kim's bag before peering into the video screen. James and Anne looked on.

All sense of reason that they had of reality instantly disappeared when Camille transformed into Kim and Tara and told Carm and Sandi of her plans to overtake Kim's cheering spot. Then, thanks to Wade's splicing techniques into London's memory unit, a mini-camera installed in the dashboard of Mrs. Johnson's cheer van showed Camille placing the locket in Kim's bag.

That splicing vindicated Kim of any wrongdoings.

Mrs. Johnson trembled at this sight. She felt guilty of trying to expel Kim for something that she obviously was incapable of doing.

James had that same feeling as well, "Kimmie-cub, I'm sorry for my outburst against you. I promise that I'll never punish you like that ever again."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Kim smiled and embraced the warmth of her father.

"So now it should be Camille, Carm and Sandi that should be expelled from the squad!!!!!" Mrs. Johnson exclaimed when she came to her senses of knowing the real culprits.

Then everyone's attention turned toward the faint beeping of the Kimmunicator. Kim activated it.

Wade was puzzled, "Kim, why did it take so long for you to answer my message?"

"Sorry, Wade. I had a little sitch 200 milles away from Middleton but it's no big right now!" Kim briefly replied.

Then, the computer guru went into panic mode, "Kim, we have a HUGE problem right now!!!!!" He activated the latest news coverage of the prison riot of Building 6 at Juvie Hall.

Kim dropped her jaw and gasped in horror at the sight of flaming toilet paper. The fire completely consumed the building. Caitlin was not far behind her thoughts.

The others huddled around the bed to see what was happening.

"Is...........is Caitlin still there?" Kim stammered nervously.

"Nope. Luckily she was escorted out of the facility narrowly while the riot was in progress. She's now at the county jail. Hopefully, that letter I sent to Mr. Smart should be in his hands right now." Wade said in giving some relief that she wasn't there anymore. "I've also finally found your mom's pendant! It's located inside an underground lab right below the Leon Mansion!"

Kim seethed to herself and it confirmed everything, _Camille Leon did all of this to us!!! First, Tara; then, Caitlin; and now she tried to do it to me!!!_ Then she asked confusingly, "So, why the panic?"

"THIS is our main problem!" Wade exclaimed when he uploaded the dreaded mugshot photo of the one former cheerleader that they didn't want to see again: Veruca.

James covered Kim's eyes in a frenzy. "Don't look at her!!!! Don't look at her!!!!"

"Chill, Dad. Wade's briefing me on this and it's very important." Kim explained calmly. "Continue, Wade!"

"Veruca Salt escaped from the facility, wounding one guard and killing a guard dog as she escaped on a stolen cop car. Her current whereabouts are unknown right now since I can't seem to access the Salt mansion. It's going to take me some time to get through the system with all of these confusing encryptions!"

"I know that you can cut through anything, Wade!" Kim smiled with confidence at the guru.

Bonnie blurted out "She's also armed and very dangerous!!!!"

Wade nodded his head at the screen "Agreed, Bonnie! Be very careful when you encounter Veruca, Kim! Oh and thanks for the splicing of London's memory unit to add in the camera footage! Wade signing out!"

"Spankin', Wade! I owe you one!" Kim smiled before it all went black. But deep inside, old would would have to be reopened. She knew that Veruca was out to get her and her friends, but she did not know at what time, and at what place.

______________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Camille walked down the stairwell with Carm and Sandi, awaiting for her triumph of an expelled Kim in room 217. She thought that everything had worked successfully.

She was about to get a rude awakening


	129. Deb on A Cold Steel Roof

Time: 4:30pm, Thursday

Place: Holiday Inn hallway, 2nd floor

Camille walked triumphanly down the hallways to Room 217 with Sandi and Carmelita, hopefully seeing that Kim would be expelled from both the cheer squad and the school, hopefully that she will be at the complete mercy of Mrs. Johnson.

She opened the door to Kim's room, which was completely dark, and then turned on the lights.

What happened next was the immediate slamming of the door behind them by Bonnie.

"What the........? What's going on here?!?!?! As the heiress of the Leon Cat Food Corporation, I demand to know the meaning of........" Camille imperatively demanded before turning to the side. She could not believe her eyes.

"You're not going anywhere, Camille Whitney Leon!!!!" Kim firmly demanded, folding her arms as she sat on the bed. She was twirling a set of handcuffs with her index finger, ready to cuff Camille or one of her assisting brutes on sight. And in the other hand was the ace that she pulled off her sleeve: three pink slips with black spots on them! She also had two other pairs of handcuffs attached to her beltclip.

"Oh no, you just, soooo like, did not......!!!!!!!" the scheming deb seethed in anger.

"I just did!" Kim smirked at Camille, whom was steadily losing her temper. "Mrs. Johnson, do the honors."

"Thank you, Kim!" Mrs. Johnson briefly smiled before it disappeared, "Camille Leon, Carm Spats, and Sandi Griffin, by order of the Middleton Cheer Code, you are HEREBY EXPELLED FROM THE SQUAD!!!!!!

Tara stared angrily at Camille, _This is what you get for sending me to Juvie!!!_.

Completely angered at these sudden turn of events, Camille turned to Sandi, the strongest cheerleader in terms of muscle size. "Get Kim, Sandi!!!! Make sure that she feels the pain of Camille Leon!"

"With pleasure!" Sandi grinned confidently. She yelled extensively, made a fist from her hand, and lunged toward Kim. But Kim did a jump from her bed, flipped in mid-air with cuffs in hand and landed right behind Sandi, perfectly. All Sandi got was a fistful of sheets. Camille stood in disbelief to see Kim easily handcuffing Sandi behind her back. The muscular cheerleader was now helpless and out of the action.

Camille growled at this and then turned to Carmelita, her other muscular henchwoman. "Carm, so like, punch that Kim into submission!"

Carmelita obeyed and gave her battle cry as she lunged at Kim from behind. Kim, second pair of handcuffs in hand, grabbed Carmelita's muscular hand from behind, twisted the cheerleader right in front of her and slapped the cuffs behind her back. Carm was now restrained right next to Sandi.

Kim brushed her hands off effortlessly. "No big at all. Now, time for you, Camille!" She held out her third pair of handcuffs, ready to apprehend the stunned deb at any time.

So, Camille used the final weapon that she had at her disposal: her teleportation. Kim lunged to restrain the Leon heiress but she disappeared right in front of her eyes with a blue aura!

"Where......where did she go?" Mrs. Johnson questioned, confused and puzzled.

"She must've used her teleportation thing!" Bonnie deducted. And it didn't take long that they've heard the faint slamming of the door to the stairwell that Camille could be in either one of two places: downstairs or towards the roof.

Kim thought of a plan to corner Camille and then snapped her fingers. "Tara, you and Mrs. Johnson get Mr. Malone to watch over Carm and Sandi and call the police. Bonnie and I will deal with Camille!" Both of the cheerleaders opened the door and left the room.

______________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhille, Camille was in complete and full retreat as she climbed up the stairs. Her plans ended in utter and complete failure. She was expected to meet with Dr. Leon on a chopper for a full report if the deed of expelling Kim ended in success.

She pried open the door leading to the very roof of the hotel. The cold winds swirled around her body. It was grey skies all around her.

To make matters worse for the embittered deb, Kim and Bonnie opened the door right behind her.

She had no place to go now.

"It's all over, Camille!" Kim yelled out to the deb.

"Just give yourself up to the police, Camille, and everything will be fine!" Bonnie tried to negotiate but she was talking to a brick wall.

Camille, obviously smarter than than, then went into a karate stance, indication that she wanted to fight both Kim and Bonnie, even though that the odds were against her and that she hasn't taken karate before.

"Like, make me!!!!!!!"

Kim and Bonnie charged at the deb. A volley of punches resulted between the three cheerleaders.

Camille's lack of experience in karate allowed Kim and Bonnie to gain the upper hand. Whenever the deb tried to pin Kim to the ground, Bonnie tackled Camille down.

The same went for Bonnie as well.

After 10 minutes, the three emerged from the melee. All Bonnie and Kim got were just a couple of bumps and bruises. Camille was in slightly worse shape with a cut on her arm, bruised chest and bruised legs, which hindered her mobility.

Then, Camille turned to the one thing that she could cheat with: invisibility. She turned herself invisible right before Kim and Bonnie's eyes.

"Oh no, now where did she go?!?!" Bonnie huffed. She was getting sick and tired of this cat-and-mouse game.

Kim studied the roof area. _The place isn't that big, so I know Camille is around somewhere!!!_

Then she felt a trip from her legs.

"OWWW!!!!" Bonnie exclaimed as her kneecaps impacted on the gravel. "Now I think I know where she is!"

Kim launched a kick in the invisible air, but all it got was air. She didn't know that the invisible Camille was preparing a charge in front of her.

The invisible Camille then punched her squarely in the chest and in the lips with all she had and then kicked Kim's legs. She cried out and grunted in pain.

Camille briefly turned herself visible and laughed at the struggling Kim. She taunted her with the wind whistling, "Look at Kim! Trying to, like, beg for mercy! It won't work once you end up in the hospital!" Bonnie attempted a fist but Camille punched her back in the stomach. The cheerleader collaped on the roof, seemingly helpless to see her friend getting creamed.

She turned herself invisible again, ready to put on the finishing blows to poor Kim. Camille went to one side of the roof and prepared for the final charge.

Around halfway to Kim, a snow flake came in. It touched the surface of the invisible Camille on her shoulder and it made a painful sizzling sound.

"AIIIIEEEEE!!!!!" Camille squirmed in pain. The snow flurries then came in. It exposed the visible self of Camille and negated the chemicals that made up all three of her powers. It was like a thousand daggers stabbing all of her successes with the arrests of Tara and Caitlin into the ground.

Kim and Bonnie now realized that this was their best chance of apprehending the now-weakened deb.

Bonnie, now summoning whatever strength she had in her body, pinned Camille's legs. She went down to the surface. Kim then grabbed the deb's hands behind her back when the wail of police sirens finally arrived. The teen hero cuffed the Leon heiress so that she was totally restrained.

Camille, now in utter defeat, yelled out "I'll------I'll get you for this, Kim Possible!!!!!"

Kim just laughed, "I don't think so, Camille!"

To complete her plan's downfall, Tara came in, announcing more good news for Kim and Bonnie and the worst bad news to Camille.

"Caitlin's been freed!!!!!!" the angelic cheerleader shouted for joy.

Camille let out a long and piercing "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" to indicate that her careful plans ended in deep failure.


	130. Bonnie's Nightmare

Time: 5:00pm, Thursday

Place: on the roof of the Holiday Inn, Batesville

"My......my plans! They're ....... ruined!" Camille stuttered in amazement. All of her carefully crafted plans, all of that surgery done to her with those chemicals, all her hopes of having Ron to herself were gone.

To top off her complete humiliation, the police then came in behind Tara.

"FREEZE, CAMILLE LEON! YOU'RE UNDER ARREST FOR ROBBERY!!!!!"

The fallen deb growled in anger when she was forced to stand up by the local authorities. Kim and Bonnie stood by when Camille was whisked away by police in the driving snow.

"Hope you enjoy prison food, Camille!" Kim smirked in triumph.

"And I don't think prison orange should be the latest in fashion!" Bonnie laughed at the sight of Camille being taken away.

"Kim!!!! You think you're, so like, all that, but you're not!!!!!!" a cuffed Camille shrieked out Drakken's favorite catchphase, as the police led her away down into the stairwell with the officer reading her rights.

"Well, K, that was fun!" Bonnie smiled, still clenching her stomach a little bit. "We've gotten rid of Camille and her goons and cleared both Tara and Caitlin's names. Now all we have is that seventh game left!"

"I can't so wait to cheer in it!" Tara chimed in. But then she still realized how South Panola just blew the Mad Dogs into oblivion with the 58-13 loss. "But we still have to be careful though with Panola!"

The two other cheerleaders nodded and stared around the sky. It was beautiful having snow flurries around.

______________________________________________________________________________

Place: Downstairs.

Camille, now reduced down to the status of a common prisoner, wept silently with cuffs behind her back in the paddy wagon, along with Carmelita and Sandy .

"You two idiots are, so like, going to pay for this!" Camille screamed and pouted at the top of her lungs. Snow flurries were on the top of her ruined blonde hair.

"But we.....we......" Carmelita stammered of her failed plans.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!!!" the fallen deb whined. "My life is ruined!!!!! Things just couldn't get any worse for......"

Then, just out of the blue, Hobble searched through his pockets.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Camille demanded to Hobble, already furious at being beaten by two cheerleaders.

"Trying to get ......... THIS!!!!!!!!!!" Hobble exclaimed in his dramatic Brogue tone as he held, up high, Ann's diamond anniversary pendant from his pocket, the one that was stolen last Friday night! Its luminous sparkle was still there.

"My mom's pendant!!!!" Kim exclaimed joyously as Hobble gave that diamond pendant to her. "How did you get this?"

"Simple," the Irish chief deducted, "we found Camille's uncle, Dr. Gervis Leon, underneath the Leon Mansion, in a hidden lab today. The police forced him to open up the safe and they found the pendant."

"Ohhhh, thank you, Officer!!!! Mom's going to be happy!!" Kim cried joyously over this occassion.

"ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!! DAMMIT!!!!!" Camille contined to pout. Officer Barbardy shut the doors of the paddy wagon on the three rogue cheerleaders. The wagon pulled out of the parking lot and merged with the interstate traffic. Thus ended the torment of Camille Leon.

Kim and Bonnie were treated for their small wounds and have been cleared by Mrs. Johnson to cheerlead for tomorrow night's game.

"So we're happy that Camille's gone to prison and that Caitlin's been freed from jail, but we still have that seventh game tomorrow, K." Bonnie said, assesing the situation that they were in.

"Don't worry, B, we'll win." Kim said with a smile.

"Thanks, K, it really means that much to us as a family and as a team." Bonnie responded back with a grin before feeling the grumbling of her stomach. "Now let's have some dinner!"

"Right with ya, B!" Kim replied back as everyone else went back to the hotel.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 11:00pm, Thursday

Place: Room 217

"So when do you think Caitlin will come?" Bonnie asked while brushing her teeth.

"Hmmmm, B, maybe tomorrow morning? My guess." Kim answered her question before hearing the knock on the door.

Mrs. Johnson knocked on the door, "Light's out, cheerleaders!!!!!! Tomorrow is the big day!!"

Bonnie then crawled into the bed on the right, nearest to the door.

She yawned, "Night,K! See ya in the morning!"

"Night, B!" Kim said before turning out the lights.

Kim dreamed of sharing the magical kiss with Ron in Game 7, trophy in hand.

Bonnie, on the other hand, had an ominous dream.

(begins dream)

She was dancing along with Junior and Kim was dancing with Ron at the Winter Formal. Suddenly, a violent knock came in and it was Veruca, armed with two pistols. Out of utter rage and neglect for any human life, she took out a revolver and fired four times at point-blank range at Junior, Bonnie, Kim and Ron and each were accompanied by four bright white flashes.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 2:00am, Friday

Bonnie woke up, gasping for breath. She was in an extremely cold sweat over this disturbing nightmare that she had.

"K? K!!! Wake up!!!!" Bonnie exclaimed, shaking the cheerleader.

Kim groaned and moaned, "B, it's 2 in the morning! What are......."

"It's Veruca! I had a really bad nightmare that she shot both of us and our boyfriends with a pistol!!!!" the co-captain continued in a state of panic.

Kim touched the tip of her chin. She completely forgot that, while in the midst of celebrating Camille's demise and Caitlin's newfound freedom, Veruca still remained at large back home, planning a horrible revenge against them.

"We'll tell Mrs. Johnson and everyone else in the morning, B." Kim comforted Bonnie with the assurances of security.

"Ohhh, thanks, K!" Bonnie welcomed in the response before heading back to bed.

But, underneath all those assurances, the fear of Veruca still lingered over everyone's minds.


	131. Buildup

Time: 7:00am, Friday

The alarm clock rang its loudest throughout the room.

Kim gave a loud yawn and stretched her body. She got out of bed, and prepared for one of the most important days of her cheerleading career ----- Game 7 of the MHSAA Football Series against South Panola. It was also a very important day for the Mad Dogs as a whole.

She took a peek through the curtains of her hotel room and there were snow showers falling from the Batesville skies. Kim smiled to herself, imagining kissing Ron at midfield with the snow flurries swirling around her after a Mad Dog victory.

But that victory is not going to come easy when the Tigers thrashed them by 30 points in Game 2, 33 in Game 4, and 45 in Game 6.

Bonnie yawned as well. "Morning, K!" She rubbed her eyes to begin her day.

"Morning, B!" Kim said in a welcoming singing voice. "Ready to cheer for our Mad Dogs to victory???"

"Sure am, K!" Bonnie gleefuly replied before the two pajama-clad cheerleaders left for breakfast.

_______________________________________________________________________________  
Time: 11:00am

All of the Mad Dog cheerleaders were eating lunch in their respective rooms: pizza.

"London, thanks for the footage. Without it, I would've been expelled for something I didn't do!" Kim said to the Tipton heiress.

"Thanks, Kim. It was nothing at all. I guess I have really changed for the better." London said, looking at her food.

"Yeah, you have been a really good friend to me and to Bonnie. First the uniforms and now you saved my cheer career." Kim smiled.

"I appreciate it anytime, Kim." London grinned turning her eyes from Kim and Bonnie, acknowledging the growing frienship inside of herself.

Then the topics changed to the all-important Winter Formal coming up tomorrow

"Any plans yet for your date with Ron tomorrow?" Tara asked Kim.

"Well, we plan to go out to dinner at a fancy restaurant first before heading to the Winter Formal. So I hope to spend around....... $150 on it." Kim answered before drawing a laugh from the angelic cheerleader. Then, turning to Bonnie, "How much are you going to spend, B?"

"Hmmmm....... I think around $200, maybe $250." Bonnie said with an estimate.

"Maybe even $400!" Tara joked in with a laugh.

All three of the girls continued to laugh as they enjoyed their delivery pizza to save money.

Yet, behind the laughter, the image of Veruca still have not left their minds.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 3:00pm, Friday

Place: Hotel Lobby

Mrs. Johnson completed the final means of checkout from the hotel after the girls ate their late lunch of leftover pizza.

The cheerleaders were wearing their new tops and their warmups because of the cold weather. The snow showers stopped momentarily but it was still bitterly cold.

All of the girls piled their luggage into the cheer vans, one by one.

Kim, Bonnie, and Tara were putting their pom-pom bags in the lead van when another car drove up.

And out of that car came a familiar face: Caitlin Cooke.

"Caitlin!!!!!!! You're all right!!!!!!!!!!" Tara exclaimed. She was the first to hug the embattled cheerleader who spent only a couple of days in Juvie and narrowly got out with Hobble from the blazing prison.

"Ohhhhh, Tara!!!!!!!! I missed ya soooo much!!!!!!" Caitlin cried, welcoming in the hug. Bonnie and Kim joined in as well.

"Ready to cheer for Game 7, Caitlin?" Bonnie determinedly asked the cheerleader who had been through the horrors of Veruca. She was holding the new road uniform and presented it before Caitlin.

"More than ready, Bonnie! Let's kick the Tigers' butt on their home turf and show them what Mad Dog football is all about! This is our last chance to prove to the entire nation that David, which is us, can beat Goliath, which is Panola! Now, who's with me?!?!?!?!?!?!" Caitlin yelled out to the other 18 remaining cheerleaders on the squad as she raised her favorite golden pom-poms in the air.

Upon hearing Caitlin's battle cry, the other Mad Dog cheerleaders unzipped their duffell bags and got out their golden pom-poms as well. They all huddled and raised their pom-poms in the air.

"Let's go!" Kim yelled, leading the way. "WHO ARE WE!!!!"

"MAD DOGS!!!!!!!" the cheerleaders yelled at the same time as the pom-poms meshed together as one.

"Now let's get out to Dunlap Stadium and beat those Tigers!!!!!" Kim continued to yell enthusiastically and pumping up her fellow the cheerleaders.

As she did so, the cheerleaders felt like that they were uniting into one unit for the first time in a long while.

"One.............two..........three!!! MAD DOGS!!!!!!" the cheerleaders yelled in unison. They all boarded the buses with a sense of Mad Dog Pride within themself that cannot be extinguished.

The four buses took the 19 cheerleaders to the battlefield to decide the MHSAA Football Series Trophy: Dunlap Stadium.


	132. Pre Game 7

Time: 3:30pm, Friday

Place: Robert H Dunlap Stadium.

As the four Mad Dog cheer buses arrived at Dunlap Stadium, the cheerleaders were all pumped up, ready to go for the seventh and final game of a long and strenuous football series.

"This is it, girls! This is where we Mad Dogs will win it all: here!" Kim said with determination, staring up into the grey skies above. _Hope the weather doesn't turn bad on us!_

The girls entered the stadium, armed with their pom-poms and their Mad Dog cheer horn. Libby came in with the Mad Dog Mascot, banana cream and all.

"Seems like it's going to snow, K!" Bonnie said, her jade eyes staring up.

Kim nodded in agreement, "Which means we have to be VERY careful when we do our routines during Game 7! I cannot afford the sitch of losing more cheerleaders to injury than to those who are in jail!"

All of them agreed as they set up the banners along the sides of the visiting bleachers.

They were wearing their new road uniform tops with warmups. The cheerleaders wanted to get as much protection from the Batesville cold as they could.

Kim could remember the time in Games 1 and 2 of her former self crying on the sidelines. Those days were over.

"Ready to do this, K?" Bonnie asked, "Ready to stare in the eye of fear and make it blink?!"

Bonnie's pep talk strengthened Kim's fiery spirit even more. "Ready, B!!!" she determinely said before laying out another banner against the cold bleachers.

She could feel the shivers as the setup to a make-or-break game for the Mad Dogs continued.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 4:45pm

After the cheerleaders were done with their setup, they welcomed a familiar sound to their ears: charter bus engines.

Kim knew that it meant only one thing: Ron was coming.

The hiss of the charter buses came to a grinding halt near the visitors' locker room. The Mad Dog football players came out and leading the way was, of course, the reason why they have come to this point: Ron "Unstoppable" Stoppable. He was shivering a bit but in good spirits as he prepared to spearhead Middleton against South Panola.

Kim immedately spotted him. Through the frozen tundra of an artificial field, she rushed up to him with open arms.

Seeing her happy face brought a smile to Ron. He turned next to Coach Barkin.

"Mr. Barkin, sir, could I spend at least five minutes with Kim?" Ron shyly asked the coach.

"Sure, Stoppable, 5 and that's all!" Barkin muttered to himself.

"Thanks, Mr. Barkin!" Ron yelled out before rushing out to his girlfriend

"Ron!!!!!!!!!!" Kim exclaimed in the distance. She could see her own breath because of the extreme cold.

"KP!!!!!! I missed ya!!!!!" the football captain yelled.

Both of them finally met at the front gate. It had been a long 24 hours for both of them: Ron having to go through another hellish practice in the cold weather while Kim had to deal with Camille.

They kissed each other on the lips and, through all the cold winter, it was the warmest thing to touch each other's lips on a day like this.

"Ron, I can imagine what we plan to do if we win this game. You and I will sit down on the couch, looking at the fireplace while we sit with a hot cup of cocoa. And we'll gaze into each other's eyes, kiss, and sleep peacefully until dawn! And of course .... we have the Winter Formal tomorrow night!" Kim said with a sweet coo to Ron.

"Awww, KP!!!" Ron smiled, imagining himself with Kim dancing the night away in the gym. "I think you've brought something to my eye!" He formulated a tear from his eye as it went to the ground. "You are the bon-diggiest GF I've ever had!!!! And that'll never change!!! Now or ever!!"

"Ron, I love it when you say nonsensical things!" Kim flirted. Then looking at the time on her cell that she carried around, she knew that she had a team to cheer on. Mad Dog Nation was counting on her and the squad to keep them in the game, to prevent South Panola from knocking them out of it.

"See you after the game, Ron." Kim sighed before giving a good-luck kiss to Ron. _Please don't be injured!_

"Love ya, KP!" Ron smiled before returning back to Barkin and to his Mad Dog team-mates. _Hope if we win and not get blown out by 45 points.... Wait, did I say blown out?!?! I meant humiliated by 45 points. Don't wanna bring back up those horrible memories of Wannaweep again._

Kim knew that she and Ron had been waiting their entire lives for this: more than defeating Drakken for the umpteenth time, more than stopping DNAmy to transform wildlife into the latest Cuddlebuddy collection, more than

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 6:00pm

Place: Home Locker Room

Coach Woods, along with Von, addressed his revved-up Tigers team:

"We are going to prove to the state of Mississippi and to the nation who is the number one prep football team of all!!!!!!!"

All of the Panola players chanted "SP!!!!! SP! SP! SP! SP! SP!" before they huddled together and headed out of the locker room.

Place: Visitor Locker Room

Coach Barkin made his speech known to the Mad Dog players:

"We have come to this point!!!! Now is our chance to make our Mad Dog presence known to the nation!!! We are going to beat the Tigers ...... ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!!!"

At this remark, the Mad Dog players all huddled together and headed toward the field.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The stadium lights shone brightly in the greying skies. The crowds were gathering in droves to prepare for all of the exciting features that Game 7 had to offer. Tailgating parties stretched all across Batesville for miles around.

It was now 6:30 and the South Panola PA announcer greeted the ever-flowing crowds who braved 27-degree temps in their heavy coats:

"Welcome to tonight's Game 7 of the MHSAA Football Series between your South Panola Tigers and the visiting Middleton Mad Dogs. The series is tied at three games apiece. Last time in Game 6, your Tigers easily won, 58 to 13. The trophy is presented by the governor of Mississippi and their town's respecive mayors."

All attention then turned to the midfield where the golden trophy was. The governor stood right beside it, next to the mayors of Batesville and Middleton, whom were wearing white gloves.

Kim got a glimpse of the trophy. _We have to win this one for our fair city!_

At 6:30, the Middleton band arrived at the stadium, ready to add in to the mix of the cheerleaders of completing Mad Dog Nation.

Both of the teams then returned to their locker rooms. Kim then blew a kiss to Ron as he ran by. He turned his head momentarily and put Kim's air kiss to his heart.

______________________________________________________________________________

An overflow crowd of around 12,000 made their way through the stadium gates at the time of the playing of the National Anthem by the South Panola band.

First, South Panola made their presence known by coming out of the inflatable Tiger head with Von Sanford leading the way.

Then, the Mad Dogs broke through the paper banner reading: "Let's Win Mad Dogs!!!!!" Kim led the way by carrying the large white Middleton flag across the field.

South Panola won the toss and elected to defer to the second half during the coin toss.

As both kickoff teams came to the field, Ron had this one thought in his mind: _Gotta do this for Kim! Gotta do this for Kim!_

Ted Thompson kicked the ball off from the 40 and Game 7 was underway.


	133. Game 7 Quarter 1: Here We Go!

The ball kicked off from the feet of Ted Thompson into the air. It landed into the cold hands of Ron at the Middleton 9. Unstoppable then made his way to the Mad Dog 31 where he was put down hard by Evan Barksdale for a 22-yard return.

--MID ball--

Ron could hear the echoes of his girlfriend cheering on for him and his team as the Mad Dogs now began the seventh and final game of the series with a 1st and 10 at their own 31.

Kim led on the visiting Mad Dogs. Her cheers helped revitalized the anxious Mad Dog crowd.

_Here we go, Mad Dogs!!!!!!  
Let's fight, fight, fight!!!!!  
Let's go Mad Dogs!!!!  
Win that trophy tonight!!!!!!_

On 1st and 10, from the I-formation, with Ron and Troy Bolton behind him, Stan Marsh began the Mad Dog drive with a handoff to Ron up the middle from the 31 to the Mad Dog 34 for a 3-yard gain. Roger Klotz was the Tiger who got to Ron first and hindered his advance.

Second and 7 saw Ron getting another handoff and going to the right guard. He moved to the Mad Dog 39 for a 5-yard pickup. Damon West contained him and it set up a short 3rd and 2 sitch with 11:03 left in the quarter.

With a 3rd-and-2 conversion approaching, Barkin decided to call for a simple fullback blast play by Troy. With 9 seconds left on the play-clock, Stan handed it off to Troy. Yet, the Tigers' stout defense held firm against the Mad Dogs. Gordon Dill held Troy back to the Mad Dog 38 for no gain on the play and the Mad Dogs had to go three plays and out on their opening possession with 10:29 left. Mr. Barkin wasn't too happy with the results of his first drive.

_It's not what we wanted to start the game with!!!_

David Childers punted from the 38 to the Tiger 25 for 37 yards. Ron didn't return the kick so it was downed at that point.

--SP ball--

The Mad Dog defense, which was shelled for 58 points and 538 yards in Game 6, came out to the field, hoping to prevent the Tigers from striking first.

South Panola came out in their I-option formation.

The Tigers' first play was when Deangelo handed it off to Darius up the middle from the Tiger 25 to the Tiger 28. He picked up a decent gain of 3 yards before Chalkey Studebaker managed to contain him at that point.

But on 2nd and 7, Darius then got another handoff to the right side and Walter Cunningham suddenly made an excellent block on Butters Stotch. Taking his chances, number 14 for South Panola slashed through the Mad Dog defense and picked up 12 yards to the Tiger 40. Vince Lasalle came up with the stop, but not before the Tigers moved the chains for the first time tonight.

Kim was worried that the Tigers might pull off a long run against them, like they had done so many times.

On first and 10 from the Tiger 40, Evan then decided to get a fullback handoff up the middle. But, this time, the Mad Dogs' defense did not allow any running room for the fullback to break through. He only gained 1 yard to the Tiger 41 before Mikey Blumberg stopped him cold.

The Tigers' next play on 2nd and 9 was a quarterback option, the same play that haunted the Mad Dogs' defense throughout the seies, by Deangelo Young. He went to the left side, hoping to pick up a hole against Middleton. Ralph Wiggum quickly sealed it off and pegged number 16 down for no gain.

Coach Woods then called in "16 Eagle 7" in which Deangelo would pass to the left side to Karl Branting. Barkin then prepared for the worst by sending in his nickel defense, which meant sending in Dean Thomas and swapping out TJ Detiwler. With 4 seconds on the play clock and 7:48 left in the quarter, Deangelo dropped back to pass, trying to find Karl. But Ron was covering him, so Deangelo decided to scramble for yardage. Butters saw what Deangelo was trying to improvise and stopped him at the Tiger 43 for only a gain of 2 yards.

Kim cheered wildly as the Tigers' offense retreated to the bench!

_Let all y'all Mad Dogs shout!!!!  
That the Tigers will go 3 and out!!!!_

Caught by surprise at these turn of events, Ash and the Tiger punt team came out for the first time tonight. Ron was ready to return to the punt from his own 15. Ash punted from the Tigers 43 and the wobbly ball landed into Ron's hands at the Mad Dog 22. He made his way to the Mad Dog 25 before Viktor Krum, the backup Tiger tight end, tackled him. It was a 35-yard punt by Ash and a 3-yard return by Ron.

--MID Ball--

The bulbs on the South Panola scoreboard now showed seven and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter in a still-scoreless ballgame.

Kim raised her pom-poms up in the air as Ron returned to the field on offense. "Let's go, Unstoppable!!!" she yelled cheerfully.

Ron briefly turned his head around and saw Kim. It was the source of encouragement for him as the Mad Dogs prepared for their next drive.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 25, Ron got the handoff from Stan and busted up the middle, thanks to the strength of the battered Mad Dog offensive life, for a gain of 7 yards before Bart managed to contain him at the Mad Dog 32.

But then the drive took a nasty turn on 2nd and 3. Stan tried to drop back to pass. Ron was protecting number 4 to his right, or he was trying to. Russell Northrop, who was blocking Ron, went past him and took Stan down for a sack to the artificial turf for a loss of 9 yards to the Mad Dog 23.

Tara slapped her hand on her forehead. _Please don't go backwards, Mad Dogs! We've come so far! We don't want to end up in a bad blowout like Games 2,4, and 6!_

On 3rd and a long 12, Stan's pass intended for Carver was tipped by Jermaine Carr and fell incomplete. So now the Mad Dogs have to go three and out for the second time with 6:09 left in the first. Ron was frustrated that his team failed to get a first down so far. Kim was now worried of this trend of the Mad Dogs' offense being stalled out.

_Please don't let the Tigers score!!!_

David punted the ball from the Mad Dog 23. It got a good bounce to the Tiger 27 where it was downed by the Mad Dogs for a 50-yard punt.

--SP Ball--

From the 27, and with 5:59 remaining in the quarter, the Tigers look to avenge their first drive, which ended in a punt.

Evan and Darius came behind Deangelo in the I-formation for the Tigers. The Mad Dogs were showing their 3-4 formation this time with Tracey Sketchit as the extra linebacker.

The first play was a handoff to Evan up the middle to the Tiger 30 for a 3-yard gain. Jimmie Hopkins contributed with the tackle on defense.

On 2nd and 7, Deangelo then got the next play "16 Slash Left" from Coach Woods. With 6 seconds on the play clock, number 16 snapped the ball and went to his left. Finding an excellent block by Charles Harris, Deangelo went deep into the Mad Dog secondary and, eventually, into Mad Dog territory. Ron managed to make the stop against Deangelo at the Mad Dog 46, but not before the all-purpose quarterback gutted the Mad Dogs for a gain of 25 yards. Kim breathed a sigh of relief.

_Lucky that didn't turn into a touchdown, _he thought.

For first down after Deangelo's run, Evan got the handoff again from Deangelo and went up the middle. Thanks to the more powerful Tiger offensive line blocking the undersized Mad Dog defensive line, the fullback blasted the Mad Dogs' defense for a 12-yard pickup to the Middleton 34-yardline. Token made the stop as the Tigers inched ever closer to the Mad Dogs' end zone with 4:37 remaining in the period.

Coach Woods then motioned Evan to be called out for a couple of plays and Ash came in as the new fullback for the Tigers.

On first down from the Mad Dog 34, Darius then got the handoff from Deangelo and picked up a good block from Francis Hancock. Darius then got to Middleton's 25 yard-line for a gain of 9 yards. Tracey made the stop.

Ash, though, wasn't lucky on his first handoff. He was immediately stuffed by Mikey for no gain on 2nd and 1.

But on 3rd and 1, Darius then bulled his way up the middle with 3:19 left on the game clock and compiled 5 more yards to the Mad Dog 20 before TJ stopped him. The Tigers picked up the first down.

Bonnie was now extremely worried about this scenario of the Tigers now in the red zone.

Then, with 3:02 left in the quarter, Coach Woods decided to call upon his Wild Tiger formation, which meant that he was now going to bring in Dontrell Avery to take the Mad Dogs by surprise.

"Dontrell, we're calling in '11 WC Left' " Woods exclaimed.

"On it, Coach!" Dontrell exclaimed as he headed towards the lineup.

Dontrell went up from the bench and came into the huddle. Deangelo then lined up as a wideout.

_Oh no!!! Not the Wild Tiger!!!!!! _

The play was filling Kim with a sense of dread as the play clock dwinded to 7 seconds left. The ball was snapped as Dontrell took the direct snap himself and took the entire Mad Dog defense by surprise. Ron tried to take him down with determination but Dontrell stiff-armed him to the ground and strided his way into the end zone for the first score of Game 7.

"TOUCHDOWNNNNN TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!" the Tigers' PA exclaimed throughout the stadium.

Dontrell Avery has scored on a 20-yard touchdown run from the dreaded Wild Tiger formation with 2:31 left in the first quarter. South Panola's fight song blared throughout the home side of the stadium.

All Kim could do was witness Ted adding in the PAT.

The score was: South Panola 7, Middleton 0

--MID Ball--

Ron, taking a deep breath, awaited the kickoff next to Dash Parr for the Mad Dogs.

_Come on, this is not going to be so coolio if we're down by two touchdowns!!!!!!!!!!_

Ted kicked the ball off to Ron at the Mad Dog 3. He hoped for better field position for his team than last time.

Ron swerved by one Tiger defender and managed to cut through for a pretty good return of 28 yards to the Middleton 31. Blaise Zabini gained credit with the stop with 2:22 left in the first.

Kim and the Mad Dog cheerleaders, now seeing their Mad Dogs going back to the field, still held their pom-poms up high. "Let's go Mad Dogs, beat the Tigers!" were the echoing cheers in unison from this squad that had suffered first under Veruca, then Camille, and through all of the turbulent

storms that they underwent with the blowout losses and the throwing of two of their cheerleaders behind bars and their freedoms.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 31, Ron got the handoff again. Unlike the previous two drives, the Mad Dogs' offensive line held and allowed Ron to pick up a very good gain of 9 yards to the Mad Dog 40. Marvin Young made the stop right there.

Then on 2nd and 1, Stan got another chance to keep the ball himself and picked up 3 yards to the Mad Dogs' 43. It was the first time the Mad Dogs moved the chains tonight with 1:19 left in the first.

Kim led the way in the brief celebration

"Let's move them chains, Mad Dogs!" She pointed her golden pom-pom in the direction indicating a first down.

On first and 10 from the Middleton 43, Stan then got the next play from Coach Barkin: "4 Falcon 1 Pass Left" : a pass from Stan to Carver. The Mad Dog QB saw that he had just under one minute left in the period and just 6 seconds left on the play clock. Stan dropped back to pass. He immediately spotted Carver being covered by Jermaine Carr. Jermaine tried to deflect the ball down but Carver caught it in front at the Tiger 39-yardline and was dragged down to the Tiger 38. It was a 19-yard pass play and another Mad Dog first down. Kim, Bonnie, and the others were excited that the Mad Dogs were in Tiger territory for the first time tonight.

For 1st and 10 from South Panola's 39, Ron then got another handoff from Stan to the right side and advanced even further to the Tiger 32 for a 7-yard gain. Dontrell, the Tiger who had the only touchdown to this point, stopped him there.

The final play of the first period saw Ron getting another handoff up the middle to the Tiger 28 for a gain of 4 yards. Jarred Wilkes made the last stop of the first quarter.

The buzzer sounded the end of the first quarter. Now, both sides of the stadium, Mad Dog and Tiger fans alike, did not know what to expect from the immortal clash of these two football titans: one being an upstart, and the other being the supreme champion of all high school prep football.

Mad Dog Nation was in much higher spirits than they were in Game 6. Kim raised her pom-poms in the air, indicating that she has not lost hope at all in her favorite team.

The score at the end of the first quarter was: South Panola Tigers 7, Middleton Mad Dogs 0.


	134. Game 7 Quarter 2: Running Frenzy

As the second quarter began, the Mad Dogs, still trailing 7 to 0, are now driving into Panola territory. Kim led on her squad for another set of cheers.

_Let's go Mad Dogs!!!!!  
Let's bring the Tigers down!!!!  
Let's go Mad Dogs!!!!  
Score that touchdown!!!!!!_

On first down from the South Panola 28, Ladario then came in for a tired Ron for a couple of plays. Stan gave the ball off to number 13 on his first carry up the middle. He managed to pick up 7 yards to the Tiger 21 before Bart brought him down.

Ladario then carried again on 2nd and 3 to the right side and picked up another Middleton first down to the Tigers 15 for 6 yards. Marvin, the younger Young brother, made the tackle for South Panola. Still, the Mad Dogs were on the move against the Tigers and the drive stayed alive.

Number 13 then got another handoff from Stan and gashed the middle for a good gain of 9 yards. The Mad Dog O-line opened up a small crease that allowed the back to get to the South Panola 6 and make a shorter field for the Tigers to defend against.

With 10:37 left in the half, Coach Barkin called out his wideouts and put in Dashiell Baxter and Jem Finch as the extra tight ends on this 2nd and 1 conversion. With Ladario and Troy behind him, Stan called out the signals and kept the ball himself. He bulled his quarterback frame against the Tigers' D and picked up 2 more yards to the Tiger 4-yard line for another first down.

Coach Barkin applauded his players for getting the all-important first down, then tilted his head toward his most favorite player.

"Stoppable, make us proud out there!" Barkin said with a grin.

"Yes, Coach Barkin, sir!" Ron responded

As Kim was hearing that the Mad Dogs were getting closer to the South Panola end zone, she knew that Ron was going to score soon. She felt it deep down in her heart. The strong bond and the deep love that they have for each other motivated her to keep the spirits of the crowd up.

The Tigers came in with their goal-line formation.

On first and goal from the Tiger 4, Ron came back in for Ladario with 10:18 left. He knew that the Mad Dogs must get back from the early 7-0 deficit. He got the first handoff up the middle and got to the South Panola 3-yard line for only a gain of 1 yard before Roger Klotz took him down.

Undaunted, Ron tried again as Stan barked the signals. This time, though, Number 7 was to the right side and dived into the end zone for the first Middleton score of Game 7.

"Touchdown, Mad Dogs!" the PA announced as the Middleton side of Dunlap Stadium cheered hooted and hollered wildly for Unstoppable Stoppable. The cheerleaders were all smiles when Ron celebrated

Ron has scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 9:31 left in the half.

Kim was proud of her boyfriend for helping Middleton to strike back at Panola. She raised her pom-poms up in the air.

_That's my Ron!!!!! _Kim smiled to herself. The Middleton High fight song sang its marching tune on the opposite side of the field.

Charlie added the PAT through the uprights. The score was now: Middleton 7, South Panola 7.

--SP ball--

When the fight song ended, the Tigers with Deangelo and Karl Branting went back to return the kick. Charlie kicked it up in the cold early-December air into the hands of the star quarterback for the Tigers from their own 4-yard line. Deangelo managed to get to the Tiger 27 before Dean Thomas got to him for a 23-yard return.

The Mad Dogs' defense came in their base 4-3 formation.

On first and 10 from the 27, Evan got the fullback option handoff from Deangelo and got to the Tiger 41 for a 14-yard pickup for another Tiger first down. Token came up with the stop for Middleton but, once again, the Tigers' running game was causing major headaches for the Mad Dog defense.

Then..... on the next play, Deangelo gave the handoff to "T-Claw" Barksdale, but Mikey immediate hit Evan so hard that the ball popped loose from his hands and it fell to the turf.

"Fumble!!!" Ron yelled out and a Mad Dog football player dived on it. It was TJ Detwiler, the senior linebacker who picked up the loose ball.

Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and the other Middleton cheerleaders echoed in unison with the visiting crowd of their beloved Mad Dogs, who now had a chance to really put the hurt on SP with 8:43 left.

--MID ball--

With the ball in Tiger territory at the 41 on 1st and 10, Barkin called out the next play in his playbook arsenal: "7 Eagle Sweep".

Stan then snapped the ball and gave it off to Ron. Ron swerved to his left under the guard of the Middleton O-Line and broke free. Dontrell tried to take him down but Ron stiff-armed him. Unstoppable galloped his way across the Tiger field into the end zone with 8:31 remaining in the half.

"Touchdown, Middleton." the Tiger PA said through the intercom as the Middleton crowd gave another outburst of applause and cheers.

Ron celebrated his second rushing score of the ballgame, a 41-yard scoring run. "Boo-yah!!!!! This one is for you, KP!!!!"

He went back to the sidelines as his team-mates congradulated him on this accomplishment of putting his team in front of South Panola.

Kim raised her pom-poms in a celebratory manner as the Mad Dog band struck up the fight song again.

"Yay, Unstoppable!!!!" she cheered on her BFBF. The Mad Dog played by Libby was foaming banana cream at a safe distance from the cheerleaders

Charlie added the PAT.

The score was now: Middleton 14, South Panola 7.

--SP ball--

Even though the Mad Dogs were in the lead, the Tigers were not going to give up that easily. Charlie kicked the ball off to Karl. The senior Tiger wideout returned the ball from the Tiger 6 to the Tiger 23 for a 17-yard return before Kenny McCormick stopped his advance.

On first and 10, the Tigers, still trying to recover from the scoring barrage by the Mad Dogs, came out with the I-option offense while the Mad Dogs were now in the 4-4 with Tracey as the extra linebacker.

Deangelo came out with Evan and Darius behind him. The play clock went down to 8 seconds before Deangelo snapped the ball and kept it himself. He went to the left guard behind Walter Cunningham and broke loose. Number 16 was gashing the Mad Dog defense with his pure speed. He got to the Tiger 49 for a 26-yard pickup before Vince took him down and it quickly moved the chains.

Kim gasped at this with extreme worry, _We STILL can't contain Panola's ground game?!?! How are we going to stop them?_

The Mad Dogs were hopeful that they could make their stand against SP's ground attack like they did last time with the takeaway.

On first down from their own 49, Deangelo handed it off to Evan and made his way to the Mad Dog 42 for 9 yards before Ron contained him. The Tigers were now eating yards in chunks.

Darius then quickly picked up the first down on 2nd and 1 by blasting through for a 4-yard gain to the Mad Dog 38. TJ brought him down with the tackle with 7:18 left on the first half.

From 1st and 10, Darius got the handoff again and bulled his way to the Mad Dog 36 for a gain of 2 yards before Ralph Wiggum made his impact on the blue-chip running back.

Number 14 for South Panola got his third straight handoff from Deangelo and went to the right, the weakest point of Middleton's defense. The Tigers' offensive line held and Darius cut through for an open running lane.

"AND HERE COMES DARIUS GRIFFIN!!!!!" the PA yelled excitedly through his microphone.

Darius crossed the goal-line, unopposed, into the end zone with 6:30 remaining in the half for a 36-yard scoring run.

"TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The partisian Tiger crowd cheered on for their hometown heroes.

However, when Ted tried to convert for the PAT, the Mad Dogs made their stand. A defender's hand was raised in the air to block it. That came from TJ Detwiler, number 48 for the Mad Dogs.

The cheers then fell into silence as their beloved Tigers trailed by one point.

The score was now: Middleton 14, South Panola 13.

--MID ball--

Ted kicked the ball off as 11,000 pairs of eyes watched. It landed into the arms of Ron at the Mad Dog 8. Number 7 ran to the Mad Dog 28 for a 20-yard return before Chazz Princeton made the special teams tackle.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 28, Stan dropped back to pass and found Ladrecius Nesbitt, the senior wideout, for a 12-yard gain to the Mad Dog 40 and a Mad Dog first down.

Kim had a feeling that this drive would be successful just like their last two.

However, she still had to take the Tigers' defense into account.

From 1st and 10 at their own 40, Stan gave it off to the familiar Number 7 of Ron but he was stuffed behind the line for a loss of 3 yards to the Mad Dog 37. Russell Northrop made sure that he didn't break through.

On 2nd and a long 13, Ron then tried again up the middle and was able to gain 2 yards to the 39 before Gordon Dill and Roger halted his advance.

Stan went deep back to pass on 3rd and 11 but his pass intended for Carver fell incomplete and, with 5:09 left in the half, had to punt it away.

David punted from the Mad Dog 39 and the ball landed on the Tiger 22. It bounced around to the Tiger 18 where it was downed by the Mad Dogs.

--SP ball--

Coach Woods, seeing that Darius has been worn out from the play of the first half, sent in Dontrell for the new tailback for the Tigers.

Number 11 came in for Number 14 as the Tigers began their next drive at their own 18 with 4:58 left in the period.

Deangelo saw that only 4 ticks remained on the play clock as he snapped the ball and gave it to Dontrell to the right side. The Mad Dog defense was completely caught by surprise as Dontrell used his speed to break through and got a first down. Ron was lucky to take him down at the Tiger 33 for a 15-yard gain.

Then on first down, Evan got the next handoff up the middle and picked up 5 yards to the Tiger 38 before Jimmie Hopkins and Chalkey brought him down.

On 2nd and 5, Deangelo then carried for South Panola on the keeper and found an open hole thanks to Francis Hancock and Charles Harris. He picked up the first and gained 10 yards to the Tiger 48. Vince was the Mad Dog who brought Deangelo down.

Kim was getting more worried that Middleton could lose its precious one-point lead at any time before the break with 3:49 left in the half.

Dontrell then got the next handoff from Deangelo and picked up a gain of 6 yards to the Mad Dog 46 before Chalkey and Ron pulled off the stop.

On 2nd and 4, Evan then got the handoff next but was stopped by Ralph for a loss of 1 yard to the Mad Dog 47.

Then, noticing that only 2:35 remained in the half, Coach Woods called the first of his team's three timeouts on a crucial 3rd and 5.

"Timeout, South Panola. This is their first timeout."

Kim noticed that the 30-second timeframe that they had was to boost the crowd's morale.

"Come on, girls, let's pump up this crowd!" Kim nodded her head to her fellow cheerleaders. Bonnie, Tara, Sharpay, Caitlin and the others agreed as Kim led the cheerleaders.

_Let's go, Mad Dogs_

_M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N  
Let's fight let's win!!!!!_

M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N

_Let's fight, let's win!!!!_

Coach Woods called in "7 Eagle Pass", a slant pass to Karl from Deangelo in the midst of the intensifying crowd noise from the visiting side.

With 7 seconds left on the play clock, Deangelo dropped back to pass. He spotted Karl in single coverage with Ron and threw in his direction. Karl caught the pass at the Mad Dog 26 and Ron immediately brought him down at that point, but not before the senior wideout picked up 21 yards on the pass play.

Kim felt that even though she was giving her hardest, South Panola was driving deeper and deeper, now with 2:17 remaining in the half. _Wow!!!! Panola must have a lot more yards than we do, even though we're only up by one point!_

On first and 10 from the 26, Dontrell got the carry from Deangelo and picked up 5 more yards to the Mad Dog 21. Chalkey and Token teamed up with the tackle for Middleton.

However, everything changed on 2nd and 5 with 1:48 remaining. Deangelo snapped the ball with 9 ticks left on the clock and gave it off to Evan up the middle. Then, TJ hit Evan hard and popped the ball loose before his knees hit the turf. Ron then scooped the ball in his hands and advanced to the Mad Dog 29 before Deangelo brought him down.

The Mad Dog Nation crowd exploded in cheers and airhorns at the result of Unstoppable putting an end to another would-be game-changing drive for South Panola.

At the mention of Ron recovering the fumble, Kim grinned with confidence and pumped her hands, clutching her fists hard in celebration."Yes!!!! We got 'em!!!"

_Here we go, Mad Dogs, here we go!!!!!_

Here we go, Mad Dogs, here we go!!!!!

Let's win tonight!!!!!!

--MID ball---

Now that the Mad Dogs had the ball at their own 29 because of SP's blunder, they wanted to walk into the locker room with the narrow halftime lead that they have. Coach Barkin also did not want to force anything so he wanted to play it safe and use power football and not to force anything in the last 1:48 of the half.

On the first play of the drive, Ron carried the ball up the middle to the Mad Dog 37 for 8 yards before Deangelo made his first stop of the game against the star tailback.

Coach Woods then called his team's second timeout with 1:27 left.

Stan then kept the ball himself on the option on 2nd and 2 and picked up 3 yards to the Mad Dog 40 and got the Middleton first down before Gordon brought him down.

The Tigers then called in their final timeout of the half: 1:18 remaining.

After the timeout ended, Ron continued his assault against South Panola with another handoff from Stan. He picked up 4 yards to the Mad Dog 44 before Damon took him down.

Troy then got the handoff next and picked up 2 yards to the Middleton 46. Jarred Wilkes had the tackle for the Tigers.

Stan then ended the first half with a kneeldown to the 45. The clock read 0:00 across the board, signaling the end of the first two periods of the game.

On one side, Coach Barkin was happy that his Mad Dogs were up by one point against the Tigers and that they have forced two turnovers, even though the D had given up a few big plays on the ground.

On the other, Coach Woods wanted his Tigers to fully concentrate on Number 7 for the Mad Dogs because he was tearing up South Panola's defense by piecemeal.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders took a much-needed rest for the next half-hour after cheering their hearts out for the first 24 minutes of action.

The score at the end of the first half was: the Middleton Mad Dogs 14 and the South Panola Tigers 13.


	135. The Cold Veruca

The South Panola band began to play as the halftime show began as the PA, who had just received the first-half stats from Felix, read them out loud.

"Your halftime score is the Middleton Mad Dogs 14 and your South Panola Tigers, 13.

"For your Tigers on the ground, Darius Griffin had 71 yards on seven carries and one touchdown; Deangelo Young had 63 yards on five carries; Dontrell Avery had 46 yards on four carries and one touchdown; Evan "T-Claw" Barksdale had 43 yards on nine carries; and Ash Ketchum had zero yards on one carry. In all, your Tigers have 223 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns

For the Mad Dogs on the ground, Ron Stoppable had 90 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns; Ladario Weathers had 21 yards on three carries; Troy Bolton had two yards on two carries; and Stan Marsh had minus one yard on four carries. In all, the Mad Dogs have 112 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns.

Young also completed his only pass to Karl Branting for 21 yards for your Tigers.

Marsh was two of four for 31 yards. Carver Descartes caught one pass for 19 yards and Ladrecius Nesbitt had one pass for 12 yards.

In all, your Tigers have 244 yards on 27 plays while the Mad Dogs have 143 yards on 26 plays.

Enjoy your halftime show from the South Panola marching band!"

______________________________________________________________________________  
Setting: Visitor's locker room.

Ron smiled in the locker room with the other Mad Dog teammates.

Coach Barkin made a few complements on what he had assessed for the first half:

"I am proud of our team so far! We forced a couple of turnovers, especially that last fumble recovery by Stoppable that would've put the Tigers ahead, and we got both of our touchdowns from him. Now we are just 24 minutes away from shocking the entire nation!

However, I do not like how we are defending against the run from the Tigers! We have allowed over 200 yards to them! We have to close up their running lanes and make sure they DO NOT break the big one! If we can hold down the Tigers' running game and open up holes for Stoppable, that title will be ours and our Middleton Mad Dogs will go into the record books for annal histories to come!"

"Now, who's with me!!!"

All of the Mad Dog players cheered in unison along with Ron.

______________________________________________________________________________  
Place: Dunlap Stadium Visitors' Side

Kim sat on top of the visitor's bleachers and felt the cold steel underneath her. She stared at the band below on the field playing their halftime show. She could also see her own breath because it was so unusually cold and chattered her teeth. Only the image of the warm embrace of her boyfriend kept her morale up.

_I'm happy that our team is up, but we still have 24 minutes left to play in this series, and anything can happen in this sitch, especially from a team like Panola! My Ron must be careful!_

Rufus spotted Kim from Cecilia's vantage point and crawled on over to Kim's side.

"Kim!" Rufus squeaked with joy.

"Hey, Rufus!" Kim exclaimed, allowing Rufus to climb upon her shoulder. He huddled underneath Kim's jacket to keep warm.

"Brrrrr!!!!!" the naked mole rat chattered in the cold.

"Wanna get some hot chocolate from the concession stand, Rufus!" Kim asked her long-time pink friend and co-partner of Team Possible.

"Sure!" Rufus squeaked again before the two headed down to get some hot cocoa.

After the two went back to the stands, Kim sighed peacefully as she stared up into the sky. She then took out her Kimmunicator from her cheer bag for the weather forecast and saw that, to her great surprise, that there were going to be snow flurries later on tonight.

"Look, Rufus!" Kim smiled in attracting Rufus' attention, "snow's on the way! You like snow!"

"Yay!" Rufus smiled before the beautiful screen of snow on the Kimmunicator transformed into the onscreen appearance of Wade. It took her completely by surprise.

"Wade, what's the sitch?" Kim asked when the smile wiped from her face.

"Kim, it's Veruca! I've found her!" Wade explained triumpantly, leaning back in his computer chair.

"That's spankin', Wade!" Kim's smile returned, "Where's she so that the police can finally get her?"

"Uhhh, easier said than done, Kim!" Wade studdered "She's held up in her own mansion but she has not gotten out within the last 18 hours ever since she has escaped! And the police can't seem to get to her because a pack of wild dogs that she owns herself are guarding the place! I strongly suggest that you need to invesigate!"

"Can't right now, Wade! We still have a football series going on!" Kim gushed, reminding Wade of the stuff that the Mad Dog football team. "If I need to investigate what that evil Veruca is doing, I can only do it tomorrow!"

"Then that's our gameplan!" Wade announced "Sneak into Veruca's house tomorrow, find out what her evil plans are, and the authorities would take her away for good!"

Kim nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh and Kim, one other thing!" Wade said to Kim before switching off the computers, "Go Mad Dogs!" He got a "Mad Dogs #1" plush hand out, extending his support.

"Thanks, Wade!" Kim complemented, now with more encouragement and bravery than ever before. She turned off her Kimmunicator just in time to see the Mad Dog band begin their halftime performance.

Rufus then applauded the Middleton High Marching Band for their flawless performance.

______________________________________________________________________________

As they left the field, Kim knew that she had to get back to the track with her other fellow cheerleaders.

Both the Mad Dogs and the Tigers made their way back to the mandatory three-minute warmups.

Kim held the Middleton school flag with the other cheerleaders and the football team right behind her.

The Tigers first took the field and then Kim led the charge for her fellow Mad Dogs as the Middleton High fight song blared on the visiting side of the field.

Since the Mad Dogs got the ball first, South Panola would gain first possession for the second half.

_Come on, Mad Dogs! I know that we as a team can pull this upset off! I just have to keep faith in my friends, my fellow cheerleaders, but most importantly, my Ron!_

Charlie Bucket kicked the ball off for the Mad Dogs and the second half was underway.


	136. Game 7 Quarter 3: University Rules

As the third quarter began, the Mad Dogs were up by only 14-13, so Middleton had to be VERY careful never to turn the ball over to the Tigers.

--SP ball--

Deangelo fielded the kickoff from Charlie at the Tiger 5 and went to the South Panola 26 for 21 yards. Kyle Broflovski was the Mad Dog who made the stop for special teams.

On first and 10 from the 26, Deangelo came back in the I-formation with Evan and Darius right behind him. The Mad Dogs came out in their 3-4 defense.

He gave the ball off to Darius on the first play and the Mad Dogs' D immediately swarmed on him. Darius only picked up 1 yard to the 27 before Ralph got to him.

From 2nd and 9, Deangelo kept the ball himself and went to his left with 3 ticks on the play clock. He gained 4 yards to the Tiger 31. Tracey Sketchit made the tackle for the Mad Dogs.

On 3rd and 5, Deangelo then dropped back to pass and threw the ball deep to Willie Wright, the senior wideout to his right. However, Lee was there to tip the pass away from Willie and nearly picked it off before it fell incomplete. Thus, with 10:29 left in the third, the Tigers would have to punt away on their first possession of the second half.

Kim enjoyed the performance the Mad Dogs' defense was doing to the Tigers. _Now, it's our turn to fight back and put this game away for good! _

Ash went back with the Tiger punting unit and punted the ball from the Tiger 31 to the Mad Dog 29 for a 32-yard punt. Ron fielded the punt and advanced to the Mad Dog 35 for a 6-yard return before Germichael Diggs took him down

--MID ball--

Now with 10:18 left in the period, the Mad Dogs' offense took to the field with Ron as the single tailback. Kim cheered her boyfriend on as Middleton began its first drive of the second period, wanting to score again.

From 1st and 10 at the Mad Dog 35, Ron got the handoff from Stan and went up the middle for a gain of 4 yards to the 39. Bart and Evan combined on the tackle of Number 7.

On 2nd and 6, with 7 ticks left on the playclock, Stan then kept the ball for himself on an option to the left and picked up 1 yard to the Middleton 40. Russell Northrop gained credit on the stop.

Barkin then called for "4 Falcon 11 Slant", a pass play with 9:21 left. With 10 ticks on the clock, Stan dropped back to pass and found Ladrecius Nesbitt at the middle of the field in Tiger territory. Ladrecius caught the ball at the Tiger 48 where he was brought down by Jermaine for a gain of 12 yards.

Kim, Bonnie and the other Mad Dog cheerleaders welcomed in the first down with a wave of their golden pom-poms.

On first and 10, Ron got another handoff up the middle. He was hit by Gordon Dill at the Tiger 46 for 2 yards. However, Gordon also got his facemask and grabbed it. It prompted the referees to throw the yellow flags on the field. It was a costly mistake by number 76 for the Tigers.

PERSONAL FOUL, ON THE DEFENSE, NUMBER 76 ON THE PLAY! IT IS A 15-YARD PENALTY, ASSESSED FROM THE END OF THE RUN, 1ST DOWN!

The Tiger crowd, stunned by this reaction, booed. The ball then advanced to the Tiger 31 due to Gordon's huge error.

Barkin, seeing that his tailback was getting worn down with 8:36 left in the period, swapped Ron for Ladario. He definitely needed a brief rest after the hard hit by Gordon. So he sat down on the metal bench and felt the cold beneath him.

Ladario then came back in for Ron and got the next handoff on 1st and 10. He found a running lane and picked up 18 yards to the Tiger 13. The blue Panola jersey of number 8, Damon West, tackled him at that point.

Kim could sense the excitement and adrenaline that the Mad Dogs were getting closer and closer to the goal-line. She could just imagine her Ron scoring the third touchdown of the game with the cheers of the visiting Mad Dog crowd right behind her.

Unfortunately, the next play brought her back down to earth. With 4 tickls left on the play clock and with 7:54 left in the quarter, Stan carried his own number but was stopped by Russell. Even worse was that the ball popped out of his hands and landed on the turf at the Tiger 15. Damon was the Tiger who fell on the ball.

The Middleton crowd groaned in utter silence when the referee's hands signaled that it was South Panola who had made the recovery. They knew that the Tigers could turn the game around in their favor.

Kim gave a deep sigh of disbelief. The Mad Dogs were given a heavy punch by the Tigers.

_Hopefully, we can get the ball back like we did last time! And hopefully Ron isn't taking this turnover too seriously!!_

--SP ball--

Ron shook his head, but he had to get back out there with the defense, for he played both sides of the ball.

South Panola started their next drive at their own 15 with 7:48 left in the period.

Deangelo came out with the Tigers' famous I-option offense on 1st and 10. He took the option handoff himself and went up the middle. Picking up a block from Dudley Dursley, Number 16 picked up 7 yards to the Tiger 22. Chalkey stopped him for the Mad Dogs.

The South Panola quarterback then took another option and called his own number. This time, he moved to the left guard before being stopped at the Tiger 24 for a gain of 2 yards. Ralph brought him to the turf.

Kim noticed that it was now 3rd and 1 with 6:51 left in the period. She nodded her head to Bonnie, Tara, Sharpay, and the others to help boost up the crowd.

"DEFENSE!!!!!!!! DEFENSE!!!!!!! DEFENSE!!!!!!!!" the Mad Dog cheerleaders chanted before they heard the ball snap again from Deangelo's mouth. He gave it off to his fullback, Evan Barksdale. Evan moved to the left against the Mad Dog defense and picked up 10 yards to the Tigers' 34 for a Tiger first down. Token Black gained credit with the takedown. Kim shook her head in disgrace but still she kept up her composure.

On first down, Darius got the handoff and picked up 5 hard yards to the Tigers 39 before TJ made another stop.

Then, on 2nd and 5, Coach Woods called upon Dontrell Avery, number 11, from the bench.

"Dontrell, we're running the Wild Tiger! The play is WC 11 Option Left!"

Dontrell nodded his head as he came into the ballgame. Darius subbed him out. Other personell changes were made for this play

As Kim noticed that number 11 for South Panola was taking the direct snap, she knew that the feared Wild Tiger was going to gut the Mad Dogs' defense wide open.

_Come on Mad Dog D! Stop this Wild Tiger!!_

But Kim spoke too soon. The ball was snapped with 5:47 left in the period and with 2 seconds left on the clock. Dontrell went to the vulnerable right side and picked up huge blocks from Francis Hancock and Burris Ewell. He swerved by one tackle and another and made his way into Mad Dog territory. Ron, standing there in his number 7 jersey, made the stop at the Mad Dog 28. Dontrell picked up 33 yards on the play and another first down for the Tigers.

Kim could see a few of the Mad Dog players getting frustrated over the unpredictability of the Tigers' running game, especially against Coach Barkin yelling in frustration over stopping the running game.

On first down after Dontrell's direct snap, he went back into the I-formation with Evan and Deangelo returned to the quarterback position. Deangelo kept the ball himself and gained 12 yards to the Mad Dog 16 for another first down. Vince brought in the stop for the Mad Dogs.

Then, with 5:01 left in the period, the movement from the Tigers' offensive line forced the refs to throw the flags all over the place.

FALSE START ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 38 ON THE PLAY, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL FIRST DOWN.

Francis Hancock was guilty on the false start and the ball moved to the 21.

On 1st and 15, Deangelo then handed it off to Evan up the middle. Evan weaved through tackles to the left and picked up 11 yards before TJ stopped him at the Mad Dog 10-yard line.

Dontrell then got another carry from Deangelo on 2nd and 4. The junior Tiger tailback/cornerback bulled his way to the Mad Dog 8. Butters Stotch got a hold of him and was given credit of the tackle.

It then set up an interesting 3rd and 2 with 4:04 left in the period: Coach Woods called the first of his three timeouts.

Kim used this opportunity to pump up the crowd again. The Mad Dog crowd got to its feet and started to make loud noises to hopefully stop the advancing Tiger offense.

After the Tiger timeout expired, the Tigers' offense lined up with three tight ends, including Viktor and Cecil and subbed out their wideouts. The ball snapped with 6 seconds on the playclock and Deangelo kept it himself. He powered his way and followed his blocks to the Mad Dog 5 for a 3-yard gain. Combining on the stop for Middleton was Mikey and Jimmy Hopkins. The Mad Dog fans groaned once again that they failed to stop them.

On first and goal from the 5, Darius then came back in for Dontrell. The Mad Dogs were now in their goal-line defense. With 3:31 remaining in the third, Darius then got another carry up the middle and picked up 3 yards to the Mad Dog 2. Ladarius Jones and TJ combined on the stop.

On 2nd and goal, Darius then got the next handoff up the middle but was hit hard by Butters and he landed on the Mad Dog 1 for a 1 yard gain.

Then, with 2:48 left in the period, Coach Barkin called in his teams' first timeout.

Barkin then made a pep speech with his defense

"You are the Mad Dogs DEFENSE! You HAVE to hold Panola here! Got That?!"

The Mad Dogs D agreed and went back to defend that last precious yard that they had.

South Panola came in with their three-tight end goal set. Deangelo was looking for one thing from the 1-yard line: touchdown.

Deangelo came under center with 6 seconds remaining on the playclock and snapped the ball. He kept it himself on the keeper. The Mad Dogs piled in on him but the Tiger offensive line continued to overpower them. He crossed the goal-line and found the endzone with 2:44 left.

"TOUCHDOWN, SOUTH PANOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the PA yelled through the microphone system.

Deangelo Young had scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a 5-minute drive. The Tiger fans exploded in cheers from the bleachers.

However, the PAT by Ted was no good.

Thereby, it left the score: the South Panola Tigers 19, and the Middleton Mad Dogs 14.

--MID ball--

Ted then kicked the ball off to Dash, the specialist. Number 15 for the Mad Dogs took it from the Mad Dog 12 to the Mad Dog 36 for a 24-yard return. Evan was the one with the special teams takedown.

Now that 2:35 remained in the period and the Tigers now up by 5 points, Ron and the Mad Dogs had to respond without turning the ball over.

Ron returned to the lineup as he heard the melodious voice of Kim's cheers keeping the Mad Dog crowd in the game.

_But for how long? _he wondered.

On first and 10 from the Mad Dog 36, Stan gave the ball off to Ron up the middle and picked up a gain of 3 yards to the 39. Evan was given credit for the stop.

Ron then tried again on 2nd and 7 but was immediately stuffed for a loss of 2 yards to the 37 by Roger.

Stan then threw on 3rd and 9 in the intended direction of Carver but the pass fell incomplete and the Mad Dogs had to punt it off with 1:08 remaining in the quarter.

David then punted from his own 39 and drove the ball deep in Tiger territory at the South Panola 21. Deangelo, receiving the punt, went from there and got to the Tiger 30 for a 9-yard return. It was a 40-yard punt by David.

--SP ball--

The Tigers got the ball on their next possession with 57 seconds left in the third.

On first and 10 from the Tiger 30, Deangelo kept the ball himself, went to the left, and picked up 6 yards to the 36. Chalkey stopped him.

For the final play of the third quarter, on 2nd and 4, Darius got the carry again. Picking up a block from Charles Harris, he picked up 7 more yards to the Tiger 43. Ron was there on the stop, but as the buzzer sounded at the end of the third, he wondered how much more abuse that he could take.

Middleton was living on a very thin prayer when the fourth quarter began.

The score at the end of the third quarter was: South Panola 19, Middleton 14.


	137. Game 7 Quarter 4: LastSecond Breather

The fourth quarter to the final game began where Middleton was being pinned against the wall, despite being down by only 19 to 14. South Panola, on the other hand, wanted to waste as much time as they could off the game clock and retain their dominance as the nation's most feared team.

On first and 10 from the 43, it was still Tiger football. Deangelo gave it off to Darius. Darius went up the middle to the Tiger 48 for a gain of 5 yards. Jimmie Hopkins, the Bad Boy of Middleton, halted his advance.

Then on 2nd and 5, Dudley Dursley, the senior SP center, twitched on the next play before the snap.

It only meant one thing to him: penalty.

FALSE START ON THE OFFENSE, NUMBER 60 ON THE PLAY, 5-YARD PENALTY, STILL SECOND DOWN.

The ball moved from the Tiger 48 back to the 43.

After the penalty, Evan got the fullback carry from Deangelo and picked up 2 yards on 2nd and 10. Butters and Ralph both hit him hard at the Tiger 45.

On 3rd and 8 from SP's own 45, Deangelo gave it to Darius and milk some of the time left on the clock, 10:50 to be exact. He went to the left side and gained only 2 yards to the Tiger 47. Chalky made sure that the fearsome Tiger tailback did not get the first down.

Kim was happy that the Mad Dogs held the Tigers to a three and out, but time was of the essence.

Still, 10:39 remained in the game as Ash was called up to punt for the Tigers. Ron was back to return for the Mad Dogs

Ash punted the ball from the SP 47 to the Middleton 19. Unstoppable Stoppable fielded the kick, swerved by one defender, and picked up 15 yards to the Mad Dog 34 before being stopped by Chazz Princeton on the artificial turf.

--MID ball--

Now with 10:28 remaining, the Mad Dogs' offense came back out with Ron. Kim was thinking extremely hard for her Ron.

_Come on, Ron. We can do this! We've worked hard to come to this point and we cannot stop now!!!_

The Mad Dogs started its drive at its own 34 on 1st and 10. With 5 ticks left on the playclock, Stan handed the ball off to Ron, whom had been contained for the majority of the second half. Ron went to the right and picked up a good block from Ben Bolden and blasted through the Tiger defense before Dontrell stopped him at the Mad Dog 47, a 13-yard pickup.

Kim smiled as her BFBF picked up that all-important first down.

She led the way for her fellow cheerleaders in a chant:

"M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N

Let's fight, Mad Dogs, let's win

Let's hear y'all say it again

M-I-D-D-L-E-T-O-N  
Let's fight, let's win!!!!!!"

After Ron's spectaular run over the century mark for the night, he got the handoff again. This time, number 7 picked up 6 more yards. With that run, the Mad Dogs moved into Tiger territory, at the South Panola 47. Bart was the one who made the tackle against Number 7.

On 2nd and 4, with 9:38 left in the game, Stan then handed the ball to Troy, the fullback. Number 19 for the Mad Dogs got to the Tiger 44 for 3 yards. Grover was given credit with the takedown.

Then on 3rd and 1, amid shouts of "DEFENSE" from the homestanding Tiger crowd, Stan called his own number and picked up the first down at the Tiger 42, a 2-yard gain as Roger carried him down to the turf. It was another Mad Dog first down and the visiting crowd cheered wildly. Around 9:05 remained on the game clock and it was a fresh set of downs for the Middleton eleven.

Ron then got another carry from Stan and picked up 3 more yards to the South Panola 39. Bart made another stop and it set up an 2nd and 7.

On the next play with 8:28 remaining in the game, Stan dropped back to pass but felt pressure from Russell Northrop. Russell took Stan down at the Tiger 42 for a loss of 3 yards but things degenerated from there because Russell also forced the ball out of Stan's hands before he went down for the sack, resulting in a live fumble. Damon West, the fearsome South Panola linebacker, scooped up the football and advanced to the Tiger 47 before Troy stopped any further damage that the play could potentially do.

The Middleton crowd reacted in sheer sorrow when the fumble was announced through the PA system. Barkin exasperated in anger over this poor handling of the football. Bonnie was in utter shock that the Mad Dogs turned over the ball for the second time in the game with 8:15 left in the game.

But it was Kim, who could not bear to watch the sight of the Mad Dog offense returning to the bench in such a crucial moment as this.

It felt like the sharp Tiger teeth of South Panola finally sank deep into the Mad Dogs hides.

--SP ball--

Now that the Mad Dogs were finally trapped, the University of South Panola was going to run down as much of the clock as they could.

The stunned Mad Dog D came back onto the field, hoping to please Barkin with a stop here.

South Panola's offense came back in, wanting to put this game away.

On first and 10 from their own 47, Deangelo gave it up the middle to Evan on a fullback blast play. Evan picked up 7 yards to the Mad Dog 46. TJ made the tackle as the clock went underneath eight minutes left.

From 2nd and 3, Deangelo then decided to keep the ball himself. He wore the play clock down to 2 seconds and snapped the ball. The familiar number 16 for South Panola went up the middle to the Mad Dog 45 for only a gain of 1 yard. Butters and Ralph both combined on the stop as 7:38 now remained on the clock.

Barkin then felt compelled to use one of his two remaining timeouts. He then looked at his players still with confident looks on their faces, knowing that the Mad Dogs are still in this ballgame and that they were not going to go down without a fight.

On 3rd and 2, Deangelo then broke the huddle and wore down the play clock to just 3 seconds remaining. He snapped the ball and kept it himself again. The Tigers' O-Line held once more and picked up another gain of 4 yards to the Middleton 41 for the first down. Jimmie Hopkins registered the tackle upon the Tigers' star quarterback, but the clock continued to wind down to 7:09 left.

Darius then got another handoff from Deangelo on first and 10 and fought his way to the Mad Dog 38 for 3 yards before Doug and TJ both gained credit on the stop at the 38.

Now that 6:37 remained in the game, Coach Woods then swapped Ash Ketchum in for Evan, hoping that the power presented from number 18 would help seal the win for the Tigers.

Deangelo carried on 2nd and 7. He found a block from Walter Cunningham and made his way to the Mad Dog 32. Ron took down his nemesis and prevented him from making the first down.

Meanwhile, Kim and the other Mad Dog cheerleaders hoped that the Mad Dogs would stop them on this third down play.

On 3rd and 1, Ash then got his second carry of the game with 5:50 left in the game. He picked up just 2 yards to the Mad Dog 30 and that Mikey stopped him. It was enough, though, for another Tiger first down.

Kim just sighed as the clock continued its countdown, but then looked at the players and noticed a similar trend: they were still confident, they were still hanging their heads up high, they still had hope in their team. They were all counting on her and the cheerleaders to keep the morale up high. Somehow, deep inside, she felt it too. Unlike Veruca, the ex-captain-turned-hardened criminal who often gave up on the team when the game was the line, Kim now raised her pom-poms up high for all to see: The Middleton Mad Dogs are not quitters!!!!! They won't back down from a fight!!!!!

On 1st and 10, Darius then carried the ball for the Tigers in an effort to wear the clock down even more with 5:22 left. He made his way to the Middleton 22 for a 8-yard pickup. Chalkey met Darius at that point.

Still wanting to waste more time from the clock, on 2nd and 2, Darius then got another handoff. However, TJ and Mikey managed to team up and stuff Darius for a loss of 1 yard to the 23.

With 4:50 remaining, Coach Woods then decided to let his QB keep it again. As the play clock ticked down to 4 seconds left, Deangelo snapped the ball and called his own number again. He found a hole in the left guard and ran in that area. He got to the Middleton 17-yard line for 6 yards. Token came in on run support and hit him hard.

On a fresh set of downs from the 17, Ash then carried again for the Tigers up the middle and picked up 4 more yards to the Middleton 13 yard-line. TJ got credit with another stop.

Second and 6 saw Darius carry the ball again, He got to the Middleton 9 yard-line for another 4-yard pickup with TJ registering another tackle.

Kim, still clutching her pom-poms tight, knew that the Mad Dog defense had been on the field for a long time. She looked at the game clock flashing 3:29 left in the game.

She prayed for a miracle, anything to help her Mad Dogs get back in the game.

"DEFENSE!!!!! DEFENSE!!!!!" the Mad Dog cheerleaders chanted.

The Tigers then came out of the huddle. Deangelo snapped the ball with 3 seconds left on the play-clock. He gave the ball off to Ash, hoping to pick up that necessary first down that could end the Mad Dogs' chances of an upset.

That miracle that Kim prayed that could save the finally arrived came when TJ took Ash down at the Mad Dog 10-yard line and, in the process, he popped the ball loose to the turf. Jimmie Hopkins, noticing the loose ball, instictively dived on the ball. Without knowing it, he saved his team from certain defeat.

Ron joined in with the other Mad Dogs, motioning with their hands that the ball was now in the possession of the Mad Dogs.

The official confirmed with his hand that it is Mad Dog football with 3:08 remaining in the game.

The normally loud Tiger crowds, cheering on their team, now fell in deep silence while the Middleton crowds intensified in their noise.

Kim and the other cheerleaders cheered as loud as they could and the Mad Dog mascot, played by Libby, foamed banana cream, although in a controlled manner.

--MID ball--

For the first time in a while, Coach Barkin gave a smiling grin to his defense as they went back to the sidelines.

Now that the Mad Dogs had the ball on their own 10, they had to march 90 yards against a formidable Tiger defense with just 3 minutes left in the game. And they had not scored ever since Ron's two touchdowns in the second quarter. And Barkin still had two timeouts at his disposal.

Ron came in as the only back with two tight ends and two wideouts.

On 1st and 10 from the 10, Ron started off this important drive. He swerved to his left and picked up 7 yards to the Middleton 17 before Evan contained him.

Deep down, Number 7 knew that these small chunks of yards were not enough to bring down South Panola. It was the long gashing home-run-ball style of run that would strike fear into Coach Woods for a long time to come, like he did in Game 3.

So, on 2nd and 3, Ron again got the handoff and went to the right guard. Ben Bolden made a huge block for his fellow team-mate and opened up a hole. Unstoppable took the hole, picked up the first down, and slashed the Tigers' defense for the first time in quite a while. He dodged by one tackle before picking up 15 yards to the Mad Dog 32. Deangelo was there on the stop for South Panola with 2:28 remaining.

The Tigers' crowd was caught by suprise and they were in for more.

On the next play after Ron's 15-yarder, Number 7 decided to go for more. Coach Barkin called in 7 Sweep Counter Left, indicating that the tailback was going to go to the left. Around 2:06 remained on the clock and 4 seconds remained on the play clock when the ball was snapped.

Stan gave it off to Ron and the left side of the Mad Dogs' O-line, led by Dashiell Baxter and Harold Berman, opened up a hole. Ron then cut upfield into the Tigers' secondary and was on the loose.

Noticing the intensifying of the Mad Dog crowd, Kim cheered on her BFBF. Her golden pom-poms shined with the stadium lights.

"Let's go, Ron!!!!!!!!" she yelled joyfully as he crossed into Tiger territory.

Only a shoestring tackle by Deangelo at the South Panola 30 prevented Ron from making the touchdown. It was a 38-yard gain by Number 7 as the Tiger crowd went into a deathly silence.

Now, 1:50 still remained in the game as Barkin noticed that Ron was getting a bit tired after his run.

"Timeout" the Mad Dogs' coach yelled as he signaled it in.

He called the second timeout for the Mad Dogs and allowed his tailback to take a breather.

After the timeout, Barkin called out Dashiell Baxter for Troy as an extra wideout.

The Tigers came out in the nickel formation.

On 1st and 10, from the shotgun, Stan gave the ball off to Ron on a draw play and picked up 3 more yards to the Tiger 27 before Marvin stopped him.

Then, on 2nd and 7, Stan dropped back to pass. He found Ron in single coverage with Dontrell and threw in his direction. Ron caught the pass and broke away from Dontrell. He picked up the first down and got to the SP 16 for an 11-yard gain. Jermaine was the one who tackled him.

One minute and four seconds remained in the game. Noticing that time was not on their side, Coach Woods called in his second timeout for South Panola. Now, the Tigers only had one timeout left.

Barkin then used the timeout to call in a 4 WR set with Carver, Troy, Ladrecius, and Milo Kamalani and Ron as the tailback. With 6 seconds left on the playclock, the ball was snapped from Devon Bailey.

Stan scanned the entire length of the field for an open wide receiver. Troy blasted through Blaise, one of the extra defensive backs for the Tigers, and caught Stan's pass at the Tiger 7. He dived his way into the end zone.

At that moment, the Middleton crowd exploded in thunderous cheers.

"Touchdown, Middleton" the PA said.

Troy Bolton caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Stan Marsh with 56 seconds left in the game.

Kim smiled, knowing that Middleton was now back in the game.

The Mad Dog cheerleaders let out a huge cheer:

"Let's fight, Mad Dogs, let's fight fight fight!!!!!"  
"Let's win this game tonight!!!"

Coach Barkin then kept in his offense on the field for the two-point conversion. Stan gave it to Ron and he went in, untouched, through a stunned Tiger defense.

The score was now: Middleton 22, South Panola 19.

Still, there was plenty of the ballgame left with 56 seconds.

--SP ball--

Charlie kicked the ball deep to the Tiger 4 where Deangelo fielded the kick. Number 16 for the Tigers advanced his way to the South Panola 29 where he was taken down by Kenny McCormick.

Only 45 seconds remained on the clock when Coach Woods called in a deep pass route.

The Mad Dogs were now trying to preserve their narrow 3-point lead.

Deangelo, with two seconds on the play clock, dropped back to pass. Karl was in coverage against Lee Jordan. He caught Deangelo's rainbow pass at the Tiger 41 and started to break away from the secondary. Karl made his way to the Mad Dog 26 before Token and Ron combined to make a touchdown-saving tackle. There were now just 34 seconds left. It was a 45-yard pass completion from Deangelo to Karl.

_Whew!!! That was close!!!!!_

Tara and Kim both breathed a sigh of relief that it didn't go for six.

Coach Barkin, now seeing that just 25 seconds remained on the clock, called in the Mad Dogs' third and final timeout. He went over the gameplan with his defense. After that, they went back on the field.

After the timeout expired, Deangelo went back to pass again in the direction of Karl. As the ball went up into the air, Lee made all kinds of contact with Karl before the pass could reach him.

Then, all of a sudden, penalty flags went up the air. This could only mean one thing to the Mad Dog Nation that was present.

It was against them.

"PASS INTERFERENCE, DEFENSE NUMBER 3 ON THE PLAY, HALF THE DISTANCE TO THE GOAL, FIRST DOWN!"

That penalty was not what Middleton wanted with just 18 seconds left in the game. The ball then moved down to the Mad Dog 13.

On 1st and 10, the only play that the Tigers ran was a simple handoff to Darius up the middle. He gained 5 more yards to his totals to the Mad Dog 8 before Jimmie, the one who made that fumble recovery for his Mad Dogs, took him down.

Then, Coach Woods allowed the clock to wind down with just 4 seconds left and called in his team's third and final timeout. He decided to simply go for the field goal and send this exciting game into overtime. So, he brought in Ted Thompson and the field goal unit to try the 27-yard field goal.

Ash was the one holding the kick for Ted.

Kim prayed hard that the kick would be no good and that the Mad Dogs would go home with the trophy.

With 8 seconds left on the play clock, the ball was snapped. Ash held the ball very steadily and Ted kicked it. As it sailed through the uprights, the clock blared zero seconds on the clock.

"THE KICK IS UP AND......................................................THE KICK IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ted Thompson kicked a 27-yard field goal as time expired.

As Kim and the other cheerleaders witnessed the perfectly-made field goal and then turning to the crowd behind her, she knew that every cheer that she had practiced for will be put to the one ultimate test.

"We're going..... into overtime!!!" Kim said dramatically.

The score at the end of regulation was: the South Panola Tigers 22, the Middleton Mad Dogs 22.


	138. Game 7 Overtime 1: The Trading of Threes

Both the Mad Dogs and the Tigers were trapped in a 22 and all stalemate. Thus, the game now went into overtime.

The fans were anticipating a gladiatior matchup of two teams playing at the best of their game. They were not disappointed at all.

The officials prepared for the coin toss.

On one side, Ron, who had been doing the best of his ability to keep the Mad Dogs afloat, slowly entered the field. He had one constant thing running within his mind ever since the game began.

_If only I can feel that kiss from KP! _

He walked with determination to the center of the Tiger logo underneath him. All of his football practice and all of his skills has led Ron to this pivotal point, this very moment in his life.

On the other side was Deangelo Young for South Panola, who had been tormenting the Mad Dogs for the entire series with his elusiveness and speed.

The two captains met at the middle of the field and shook hands.

The referee called out the coin toss: "The team that wins the toss will get the attempt to score first. Middleton, since you are the road team, you get to call."

Ron proudly proclaimed, "Tails"

"Tails it is! And it is ..... heads !!!!!!!!!!!! South Panola wins the toss!" the referee decreed to the crowds. Darius then talked it out with the officials, stating that the Tigers would go on offense first. The Tiger crowd welcomed with a huge cheer. The Tigers also chose to set up shop at the South end of the field.

"Aw man!" Ron whined briefly before retreating to the sidelines. Kim gave a worried look on her face, for she knew what potential Panola had in its arsenal. She had to pump the Mad Dog crowd to its highest level since Game 5.

It was a narrow 10-yard strip of land separating either team from a win or a defeat.

--SP ball--

The Tigers then began the first overtime at the Mad Dog 10.

Evan and Darius lined up in the I-formation behind Deangelo. The Mad Dogs were in their 4-3 defense, closely guarding the end zone.

Deangelo first gave the ball off to Evan up the middle but the Mad Dog defense held down the fullback. Evan only picked up 1 yard for the Tigers to the 9-yard line. Ralph was there to contain Evan.

Then, on 2nd-and-goal, Darius got the next handoff for South Panola. He went to the left guard but was stopped after a gain of 4 yards to the Middleton 5-yard line. Chalkey brought him down to the turf.

Sensing that it was third down, Kim then motioned to the other cheerleaders to raise their pom-poms in the air. The Mad Dog crowd responded with the loudest sounds that they could find to turn the home-field advantage against the Tigers: pounding their feet against the steel bleachers, airhorns, a few cowbells here and there.

Deangelo then kept the ball himself on 3rd-and-goal and went to his left. But the Mad Dog defense stood up to South Panola and brought him down for a loss of 2 yards to the 7-yard line. Butters led the charge to bring him down.

Kim smiled that the score still remained 22-and all because the Mad Dogs prevented the Tigers from making six.

Not wanting to risk it all on 4th down, Coach Woods called in his field goal unit again. This time, Ted Thompson was to kick a chip-shot 24-yard field goal. So, the field goal unit came out and Dudley snapped the ball to Ash, whom was holding the ball. Ted kicked everything he had in the ball.

"The Kick is GOOD!" the Tigers PA exclaimed as the ball sailed through the uprights.

Kim only looked on in silence.

The score was now: South Panola 25, Middleton 22.

--MID ball--

Now it was Middleton's turn to prove what it has. Coach Barkin sent in his Mad Dog offense to the Tiger 10 to hopefully put six on the board and pull off the upset.

Ron and Troy lined up in the I-formation behind Stan while the Tigers showed their base 4-4 defense.

Kim gave one wave of her pom-poms to cheer on the star tailback, knowing that she has a very deep and entrenched love for him, no matter if the Mad Dogs win the game or not.

On 1st and goal from South Panola's 10-yard line, Ron took the handoff up the middle and picked up 4 yards to the Tiger 6-yard line. Grover made his Batesville welcome to Ron at the turf.

From 2nd and goal, with 5 ticks left on the play clock. Troy then got the handoff from Stan but was immediately hit by Russell Northrop for no gain.

Ron then got another carry on third-and-goal, but he did not enter the end zone. He only gained 2 yards to the Tiger 4 before Roger contained him.

Like his much-accomplished South Panola counterpart, Coach Barkin did not want a gamble on fourth down.

_Hmmm, kicking that field goal seems to be the better option than going for six._

He called upon his kicker. "Bucket, you're up!"

Charlie, wearing number 93 for the Mad Dogs, nodded his head and put on his helmet.

The Mad Dogs' field goal unit was up and so was South Panola's field-goal defense.

It was going to be a 21-yard field goal for Charlie. Once the play clock wound down to 4 seconds, Devon snapped the ball and David Childers held it. Charlie kicked the ball through the uprights.

The referees signaled with their hands in the air, meaning that the kick was good.

"And the 21-yard field goal by Charlie Bucket is good for the Mad Dogs", the PA announced.

So now, both teams had to go into a second overtime.

_I have a feeling that it is going to be a marathon before we win the game, _ Kim said to herself.

Judging from the talent between the two teams standing before her, she might be right.

The score after the end of the first overtime was: the South Panola Tigers 25, and the Middleton Mad Dogs 25.


	139. Game 7 Overtime 2: Strong Stands

As the game entered into a second overtime period and the game tied at 25 apiece, the Mad Dogs were now going to get the ball first at the Tiger 10.

--MID ball--

Starting from that point, the Mad Dogs' offense came out with an I-formation with Ron and Troy behind Stan.

The first snap of the second OT started with a handoff from Stan to Ron. Ron went up the middle to the South Panola 5 for a 5-yard gain before Bart took him down.

Then on 2nd-and-goal, Stan decided to keep the ball himself, hopefully to pick up the touchdown on a draw play. Unfortunately, he was stopped for no gain by Marvin and Russell for South Panola.

Coach Barkin then decided to call in on "7 Eagle Left Pass" on 3rd-and-goal. Ron lined up as a wideout and Milo got his position as an extra tailback. Stan got the play off with 2 seconds left. Ron crossed into the end zone, hoping that Stan would find him. Stan found him and threw the ball in Ron's direction. Unfortunately, he was covered by Jermaine and Deangelo a split-second later. Jermaine tipped the ball in front of Ron and the ball fell into ....

"THE PASS IS PICKED OFF BY DEANGELO YOUNG FOR YOUR TIGERS!!!!!!!"

Deangelo picked the pass off in the end zone to end the Middleton scoring threat.

The Tigers' crowd cheered on their team as a few diehard fans hollered "SP! SP! SP! SP!" all over the home side while the Mad Dog crowd fell in a complete and hushed silence.

Kim just shook her head in complete disapproval over this turnover against her team.

Now, it was up to the Mad Dogs defense to stop South Panola's run-oriented offense on this drive.

--SP ball--

Now, South Panola has a chance of blowing the game wide open in their favor when their second overtime drive started at the 10.

Dontrell Avery and Evan were right behind Deangelo in the I-formation while the Mad Dogs emerged into a goal-line formation, knowing that the Tigers would run the football down their throats.

On first down, Deangelo kept the ball himself. The famed number 16 picked up 3 yards to the Mad Dog 7 before TJ recorded another tackle in the statbook for the Mad Dogs.

Dontrell then tried his efforts in reaching the end zone on second-and-goal, but it was futile as he picked up only 1 yard to the Mad Dog 6. Mikey easily stuffed Dontrell on the run.

Then, on third down, Deangelo handed the ball off to Evan on a fullback blast play. Evan tried to break through and did manage to pick up 4 yards to the Mad Dog 2. TJ and Doug combined on the stop for Middleton.

Sensing that Panola was about to score a possible winning touchdown, Kim encouraged the crowd to utilize the noisemakers that held them.

"DEFENSE!!!!!!!! DEFENSE!!!!!!! DEFENSE!!!!!!!" The visiting crowd was going berserk as the second and third-string Mad Dog players joined in with the crowd noise as well.

It was louder than South Panola had ever experienced before.

On fourth down, Deangelo handed the ball to Evan, hopefully picking up the touchdown. Instead, Mikey gave him a bear hug and forced him back to the Mad Dog 4-yard line for a loss of 2 yards, thereby denying the potential game-winning touchdown.

"Yes!!!!!" Bonnie exclaimed, "No one messes with our Mad Dogs!!!!"

"Let's go Mad Dogs!!!!!" Kim led on the cheers!

_"Who do we say??  
"Let's go Mad Dogs_

_"Let's fight all the way!!!!!_

It was now going to go into Overtime Number Three.

Ron, although exhausted, was relieved that South Panola did not score on that fourth down play and patted Mikey on the back for congratulations.

Barkin applauded the work that has been achieved by his defense. "Good job, Mad Dogs D! Good job!"

The score after the second overtime was still: the South Panola Tigers 25, and the Middleton Mad Dogs 25.


	140. Game 7 Overtime 3: Grinding it Out

Both Middleton and South Panola entered into the third overtime. The crowd was getting anxious to see who would make that important touchdown.

Kim took a brief breather. She had been cheering for the whole 3-hour marathon to this point as she took a sip of water from her bottle. The redhead had never experienced a game like this.

It had been taking quite a toll on her body.

_Still, I MUST continue to keep my fellow cheerleaders and our fans in this game! If we don't, Panola is going to run us over! _

--SP ball--

On 1st and goal from the Mad Dog 10, Ash now took the place of Evan but Darius went back into the huddle for Dontrell. The Mad Dogs still remained in the same defense.

Darius got the handoff from Deangelo with 8 seconds on the play clock. He went to the right side of the field. He broke one tackle before being stopped at the Mad Dog 5-yardline for 5 yards by Ron.

Then, on second-and-goal, Deangelo got the option carry himself. He called his own number and went up the middle and attempted to dive at the goal-line while Chalkey brought him down. But the officials ruled him down at the Middleton 1-yard line for a 4-yard gain on the run by number 16.

Kim, on the sidelines, pumped up the visiting crowd again with the noisemakers like they did on the last overtime period.

_Hopefully, this'll stop Panola and end this football sitch so that I can be in the arms of my Ron!_

But she did not anticipate Ash Ketchum carrying the football on 3rd-and-goal. Ash went to the left guard. He shook off Butters to cross the goal-line for South Panola.

"TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the PA exclaimed as Ash scored on a 1-yard run.

The Middleton crowd, including Kim, fell silent for a bit.

Ted then added in the extra point to help give the Tigers back the lead.

The score was now: South Panola 32, Middleton 25.

--MID ball--

Coach Barkin then put in his Mad Dog offense with the same personell and so did the Tigers on defense in the South end zone.

On first down from the South Panola 10, Ron got the handoff. He found an open hole in the right side of the Tigers' defense, thanks to Ben Bolden. Number 7 got to the Tiger 3-yardline for a 7-yard gain as Damon contributed to the stop.

Stan then decided to go on an option play on second and goal. The field general kept the ball himself up the middle but only picked up 1 yard to the South Panola 2-yard line. Nelson and Roger both contibuted with the stop.

On third down, the Mad Dogs could hear the noise of South Panola's crowd picking up. The Tigers' second and third string players were waving their hands up and down to pump up the crowd and they responded with loud noises.

Ron taught himself to block out noises such as this. He only wanted to concentrate on getting his Mad Dogs back in the game. Kim cheered and called out his name "Let's go, Unstoppable!"

That motivated him to concentrate on the game and not on the Tigers' side of the stadium.

_Thanks, KP! I really needed that!_

With 4 ticks left on the playclock, Stan snapped the ball and handed it off to Ron. Ron went to the left side and went into the endzone, unopposed, for his third touchdown of the game.

"Touchdown, Middleton!" the PA exclaimed. The Tigers' crowd immediately went silent, as they did every time Unstoppable Stoppable scored.

"Boo-yah!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ron celebrated, "That's three for the Ron-man!" He then handed the ball off to the ref and went back to the sidelines, happy that the Mad Dogs are still in this fight.

Charlie then added in the crucial extra point.

Now the game was going to shift into a fourth overtime.

Kim could hardly wait to see what heroics her BFBF would perform on the gridiron in the next period.

The end of the third overtime period was: the South Panola Tigers 32, the Middleton Mad Dogs 32.


	141. Game 7 Overtime 4: At That Moment

Before the fourth overtime began, Kim checked her Kimmunicator for the time. It was now 10:15pm.

_Dang, it's 10:15 and we're now in overtime number four! But how long can our team hold up?_

Luckily for Kim, the Mad Dogs get to go on offense first in this period.

--MID ball--

The Mad Dogs' offense came back onto the field. Ron and Troy lined up behind Stan. They could hear the cheering of their fellow fans supporting them all the way, encouraging them to fight on against the University of South Panola.

Ron took a deep breath, _Gotta do this for KP! Gotta do this for KP!_

On first and goal from the Tiger 10 and with 5 seconds left on the playclock, Stan gave the ball off to Ron. He went to his left and got some good blocks from his offensive line. Number 7 got himself down to the Tiger 3-yard line before being stopped by Jermaine for a gain of 7 yards.

He knew that the end zone was close and could smell it from there.

Stan then tried to punch it in up the middle on 2nd and goal, but could only get to the 2-yard line for a 1-yard gain. Grover denied him a trip to the end zone.

Then on third down, Coach Barkin called in "7 Blast Middle" a simple run up the middle, but, to Ron, it was going to be the most important run of his life to this point.

The Tigers' crowd started to increase the noise on the home side of the stadium.

Ron had to concentrate everything he had on that one play.

_I'm going to dedicate this run to KP!_

The huddle broke with 11 seconds on the playclock. Ron was behind Troy as the play clock wore down to 3 seconds. Stan barked the signals, snapped the ball and handed it off to Ron.

Unstoppable Stoppable got the handoff and ran into Marvin Young. Marvin tried with all of his might to bring him down at the 1-yard line, but Ron made a second effort and dragged Marvin along with him and dived into the end zone.

The ref's hand shot up in the air. With a smile on his face, he knew what this meant.

"Touchdown, Mad Dogs." The Tigers' PA announced.

"Boo-yah!!!!! No one messes with the Ron-man!!!!" Ron exclaimed in his touchdown celebration.

At that moment, the Middleton crowd exploded in a bedlam of cheers and noise!!!! Chants of "Unstoppable, Unstoppable!!!" did not cease. The Mad Dog mascot exploded with banana foam and growling noises, of course at a safe distance from the cheerleaders.

Ron then handed the ball to the referee and retreated to the sidelines.

But the most happy cheerleader of all was Kim. She cheered on her BFBF with a wild wave of her golden pom-poms!!!! "Let's go Mad Dogs!!!" the cheers came from her mouth.

It was also Ron's fourth rushing touchdown of the game with the 2-yard touchdown run.

He looked, with a loving smile, at Kim cheering on the sidelines. _This touchdown is for you, KP!_

Charlie then added in the crucial PAT, knowing that South Panola still had an ace up their sleeve.

The score was now: Middleton 39, South Panola 32.

--SP ball--

Now that the Tigers were down by a touchdown to the Mad Dogs, they had to get back into the game.

Coach Woods sent in his usual offense with Evan and Darius as the tailbacks behind Deangelo. South Panola was going to throw everything it had against the 4-3 Mad Dog Defense. Ron returned in his usual safety position.

On 1st and goal from the Mad Dogs 10, Deangelo gave the ball to Darius up the middle against the Middleton D. Darius quickly picked up 3 yards before TJ and Ralph came up to stop him at the Middleton 7-yardline.

Deangelo then carried the ball himself on 2nd and goal from the 7. He went to the right side where he attempted to go for the score. Ron, luckily, tackled down the Tigers' elusive quarterback at the 1. Number 16 gained 6 more yards to the 1.

Coach Barkin then sent in his goal-line defense with 5 defensive linemen, 3 linebackers and 3 defensive backs. The Tigers came out in their power I-set with 3 tight ends, including Viktor Krum and Cecil Jacobs.

Kim and the other cheerleaders cried out "DEFENSE!!!" hopefully to contain Panola at the 1-yardline with a goal-line stand.

Deangelo then decided to go for the touchdown on a quarterback sneak. With 7 seconds on the playclock, the Tigers' field general then snapped the ball and powered his way. A Mad Dog Pile was on him, but the Tigers' O-line was just too much for them. Deangelo crossed into the end zone.

The referee signaled his hands up in the air.

"TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the PA yelled through the loudspeaker.

Deangelo's 1-yard touchdown run cut the Mad Dogs lead to just one point.

The score was now: Middleton 39, South Panola 38.

But, Coach Woods wasn't done yet. He pulled his ace out of his sleeve ..... two fingers up in the air!

Kim and Ron looked at Woods' display of the two fingers and knew what this meant .... South Panola was going to go for the win with a two-point conversion.

Coach Woods gathered up his players to draw up the play that could either win them the game or be denied of a title.

Coach Barkin then sent in his 5-3-3 defense with Ron occupying the right side, just in case if the Tigers wished to try the right side, they would have an extra defender.

Ron, as he trudged out onto the field, was feeling a sense of dread against him, for the Mad Dogs had difficulty in containing South Panola's ground game.

He went to his assigned spot, knowing that he was going up against one of the mightiest football players that he had ever seen ... number 16 for South Panola, Deangelo Young.

Unstoppable Stoppable needed inspiration to guide him through this one final play. That inspiration came from Kim deep in the recesses of his mind.

_Remember, Ron! Anything is possible for Team Possible!!!! And together, nothing can be impossible for the both of us!!!!!!_

This pep-speech within his mind gave him the confidence he needed to confront and triumph over his fears!!!!

Deangelo came under center for South Panola, knowing that he was going to run it in himself. Ron, now filled with a sense of determination, was ready for anything. Number 16 of South Panola did not know it yet, but the Tigers were going to come face-to-face with a member of Team Possible.

He snapped the ball with just 5 seconds left on the playclock at the 2. Deangelo kept the ball himself on the option and moved to his right where only Ron Stoppable stood between him and his goal .... a two-point conversion and the win.

Ron, with that determination and with his Kim cheering him on, took Deangelo on down to the cold Batesville turf underneath. Deangelo kept and protected the ball with all of his might, but then the referees ruled him down at the 1-yardline, well shy of the goaline.

At that moment, the crowds of both sides fell silent and then .....

... the visiting Middleton Mad Dog exploded in a breaking-sound barrier of cheers and noise that could be heard from 5 miles around. Airhorns blared throughout the visiting stands! Cowbells clanged loudly! The Mad Dog cheerleaders all tossed their golden pom-poms about 20 feet into the air and landed on the cold gravel track! The Mad Dog mascot was making its loud barking sounds known to the Tiger fans everywhere!

This meant only one thing to the 9,000 silent partisian South Panola football fans in the home stands ......

The Mad Dogs won Game 7 over the South Panola Tigers! They pulled up an upset that many thought would never happen at all!!!!

Slowly but surely, South Panola fans made the long and sorrowful exit, knowing that their road to glory had come up empty-handed.

The post-game celebration of the Middleton Mad Dogs has just begun!

The final score of Game 7, after four overtimes, was: the Middleton Mad Dogs 39, the South Panola Tigers 38!

Middleton won the MHSAA football series over South Panola, 4 games to 3!


	142. All Was Not Well

Time: 10:45pm, Friday

Place: Salt Mansion

Everyone in Middleton celebrated the wild roller-coaster of a 39 to 38 victory for the Mad Dogs over South Panola in four overtimes in Game 7 .

Only one person, however, did not revel in the Mad Dogs' victory: one snotty little brat who now has a thirst for violence and revenge.

______________________________________________________________________________

Veruca Salt was still trapped in her mansion, in her room, all alone. The furniture was covered in drapes and the walls were starting to peel off. The golden throne that Veruca once sat on in displaying her power throughout the house now started to collect rust at such a fanatic and rapid pace. Those exotic cars imported from Europe that she once had in her basement garage were now repossessed by the government.

She was wearing her torn jeans and a t-shirt, not exactly the fancy thousand-dollar clothes that she usually wore every day. Veruca burned her prison uniform in utter rage.

Her house was ransacked by so much decay in such a short amount of time.

But was was worse was that since no one else occupied the house, vermin of all kinds, including rats, were eating whatever food that was left in the house, especially those European-imported sausages.

The ony thing for her that was edible was the fruit that she normally eats that repels the smell of these rats.

The altar and shrine that she set up for the hotel heiress was thoroughly destroyed. The perfumes and slutty pictures of the heiress were all ruined and torn by repo men.

She was alone and isolated, listening the radio as the final play of Game 7 from Batesville was announced

_... and ........ UNSTOPPABLE STOPPABLE MAKES THE TACKLE OF YOUNG ON THE TWO-POINT CONVERSION!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!! THE MAD DOGS WIN!!!!!!!!!! THE MAD DOGS WIN 4 GAMES TO 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CROWD IS GOING..........._

Not wanting to take any more of this, Veruca took sight of a nearby baseball bat and bashed the radio in. Out of her tears and out of her rage, she repeatedly shattered the radio onto the marble floor.

"GRRRR!!!!! That stupid Possible idiot has taken EVERYTHING away from me!!!!!!! First she takes my position as cheer captain, then she sends me to jail, and NOW, I have NOTHING!!!!!!!" Veruca wept bitterly on the floor.

Earlier in the day, her parents were arrested for tax evasion and now she was on the run from the law, cooped up in her own home, in a corner of once was her room. Her faith in the hotel heiress still remained firm, even when the altar was destroyed. She cursed against Kim and made insults about the Possible family as a whole. Veruca vowed revenge against Kim, in any shape, form, or fashion

She cursed and blasphemied against God and Jesus with all of her might in her tears, taking both of their names in vein when she pounded her fist against a false brick built into her room. The false brick opened up her former fireplace to a tunnel.

_Hmmmm,_ Veruca thought _maybe this tunnel contains the answers to all my problems!_ She slowly advanced her way through the winding tunnel, wondering where it all leads to. The answer came to her in the form of a heavy metal door with a slider at eye level. She gave three heavy knocks to the metal door, hoping that all of her questions of gaining revenge on Kim would be answered. The slider opened, revealing only his eyes.

"Anyone home?" the former peanut deb asked.

A familiar voice gave its reply, "Yes, and you are Veruca Salt, are you not?"

Shocked at the voice knowing whom she was, Veruca begged on her feet and asked "Can you help me how to gain revenge against Kim Possible?"

Upon hearing the name, the person closed the slider and unbolted and unlocked the heavy metal door, revealing himself.

It was that of Dr. Gervis Leon, the very same doctor who injected his niece with all the chemicals that gave her the powers to try and attempt revenge against Kim, but failed because of the elements.

The tunnell connected to the same lab where the Leon Mansion was.

Veruca knew about Dr. Leon but, like Camille's parents, did not know of the extent of his work.

"Veruca," Dr. Leon announced, "you've come to the right place!" The doctor gave a sneering smile as he gave the former peanut heiress a tour of the lab. She was amazed at how the doctor kept all of his chemicals in good condition, though she did not know what they were for.

"So what are all of these chemicals for?" Veruca asked out of curiosity.

Dr. Leon then explained the purpose of his work, "Veruca, I used these chemicals, legal and otherwise, on my own niece, Camille, for the sole purpose of shapeshifting."

"Shapeshifting?" Veruca asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Veruca. It gives the person the ability to transform into any person they want to, make themselves invisible, and teleport themselves. Camille did all of these things successfully before she got caught!" Veruca took in Dr. Leon's advice with great interest. Yet, the doctor warned,  
"But applying for this three-hour surgery is not easy. First, and foremost, you must have the same skin tone my daughter had!"

Then, looking at Veruca's skin, Dr. Leon gasped.

"What is it, Doctor?" Veruca asked.

"Your skin.... is a perfect match!" Dr. Leon gleefully replied with an evil chuckle.

"You-you mean I'm......ready for your surgery?" Veruca gasped in speechlessness.

"More than ever!" Dr. Leon proudly beamed with excitement.

So thus, the three-hour surgery of Veruca Salt to being a shapeshifter was underway, knowing that her devious plans of gaining revenge on Kim for putting her behind bars and ruining her family were just beginning.


	143. A Winner's Kiss

Time: 10:45pm, Friday

Place: Robert H. Dunlap Stadium, Batesville, MS

The PA announcer proclaimed the stats of Game 7 to all who were present:

"The final score of Game 7 is the Middleton Mad Dogs 39 and your South Panola Tigers 38. The Mad Dogs are the new MHSAA Football Champions with winning the Series, 4 games to 3.

For your Tigers in rushing, Deangelo Young has 21 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns; Darius Griffin had 22 carries for 146 yards and one touchdown; Dontrell Avery had seven carries for 82 yards and one touchdown; Evan Barksdale had 16 carries for 76 yards; and Ash Ketchum had five carries for six yards and one touchdown. In all, your Tigers had 71 carries for 417 yards and five touchdowns.

For the Mad Dogs, Ron Stoppable had 30 carries for 196 yards and four touchdowns; Ladario Weathers had five carries for 54 yards; Troy Bolton had four carries for five yards and Stan Marsh had 11 carries for minus one yard. In all, the Mad Dogs had 50 carries for 254 yards and four touchdowns.

Through the air for your Tigers, Young was two of three for 66 yards, both to Karl Branting.

For the Mad Dogs, Marsh was five of nine for 70 yards and one touchdown with one pick.

Ladrecius Nesbitt had two catches for 24 yards; Carver Descartes had one catch for 19 yards; Bolton had one catch for 16 yards and one touchdown; and Stoppable had one catch for 11 yards.

In all, the Tigers had 74 plays for 483 yards and the Mad Dogs had 59 plays for 324 yards.

Congradulations to the Middleton Mad Dogs for being the MHSAA Football Champions

Good night from the University of South Panola!"  
_____________________________________________________________________________

Both Coach Barkin and Coach Woods congradulated each other for an unforgettable series filled with twists and turns.

The victorious Mad Dog football team then shook hands with every single player of the defeated Tiger football team.

Kim rushed from the track to the field where her BFBF was awaiting the warmth and comfort he needed.

"Ron, we did it!!" the cheerleading captain exclaimed with joy that the Mad Dogs won the series despite being outgained in every statistical category by South Panola.

"KP!!!!!!" Ron called out in the cold, rushing from the Tigers' end zone to midfield, where the warm embrace of Kim's arms awaited him. He was now unhelmeted.

The confetti of red, purple, and gold from the opposite end zone then began to flow out of the machines to ring in this monumental accomplishment that few ever accomplished.

At midfield, the dirt-and-grass stained number 7 jersey of Ron wrapped his arms around the red-haired beauty of Kim, who repaid her unwavering faith in her Mad Dogs by cheering for three and a half straight hours from the time of kickoff to Ron's game-clinching tackle of Deanglo for the two-point conversion in the fourth overtime.

"Well, Ron, you've made three game-saving plays, you helped me free two of our cheerleaders from the slammer, our Mad Dogs won the series, but most importantly," Kim smiled with the expresson of her love for Ron "you have won my heart!"

Ron blushed at these words "And the Ron-manI has the bon-diggiest girlfriend around!" Then he brought up the Winter Formal poster that he saw in the cafeteria. He got down on one knee, "Would you like to be, KP, my date to the Winter Formal tomorrow night?"

In complete shock and happiness deep down in her heart, Kim replied with a tearful, "Yes!!!!!!" Closing her eyes tight, her lips attached to Ron's and they kissed each other in the storm of red-gold paiper-mache.

Witnessing this, James wiped a tear from his eye from the visitor's stands. "I wish if this night would never end for my Kimmie-cub!" Ann just smiled and handed her husband a tissue from her purse.

And if the night couldn't be more romantic for Team Possible, snow flurries began to fall onto the turf. It combined with the paiper mache for a romantic Mad Dog night on South Panola's field.

After kissing each other, both Kim and Ron gazed into each other's eyes. Both of them knew that their love for each was extremely strong. Both of their hearts were beating at the same time as they resumed their kiss of joy for the next 45 seconds. They heard the Mad Dog crowd applauding widly for both Kim and Ron for all that they have done to both the Mad Dog cheer squad and the Mad Dog football team.

Ron was enjoying his winner's kiss from Kim. It has been a two-and-a-half week whirlwind for the clumsy member of Team Possible and he deserved his reward from his BFGF.

Without the two, the Mad Dogs would've been wiped clean by Panola in a four-game sweep.

______________________________________________________________________________  
Meanwhile, Junior found Bonnie celebrating with the other Mad Dogs at the 25-yard line. The international pop-star somersaulted over the railing of the visitor's bleachers.

While on the trip to Game 6, the two of them sent text messages to each other, finding out that they have a lot in common with each other.

"Bonnie, my love!!!!!! I am of the loving you!!!!!" Junior exclaimed, preparing to pour out his love for the tan-skinned cheerleader.

Bonnie stopped, turned to Junior, and laughed with joy"Junior, my hottie! I love you too!!!!"

Junior gave his hug to Bonnie and the youngest Rockwaller did likewise.

"My Junior, would you like to be my date to the Winter Formal?" Bonnie asked to the handsome son of Senor Senior Senior.

"My love!!!! I am of the most accepteying of your proposal to this of the dance!!" Junior replied excitedly.

Then, looking deep into each others' eyes, she gave a long kiss to Junior for the next 20 seconds.

* * *

The other 89 Mad Dog players and assistant coaches, including Josh and the Tweebs celebrated with tears of joy in a pile of humanity.

The trophy then appeared right before them with an assistant wearing white gloves. It was a crystal football worth $90,000 on a very strong wooden base. On it, the plaque said, "MIDDLETON MAD DOGS - MHSAA STATE CHAMPIONS" in gold. The governor of Mississippi stood by his side, preparing to give his speech.

Barkin approached the trophy with joy along with Bonnie, Junior, Ron, and Kim. They gathered with the other players, coaches, and staff of Middleton's football team

Mr. Yarborough, the MHSAA commissioner, announced to the crowd:

"Congradulations, Middleton High School! You have defeated a heavily-favored South Panola football team four games to three in one of the most exciting series that the state of Mississippi have ever seen! I admired your teams' courage and bravery in the face of adversity in terms of the very high and insurmountable odds against your team! Congradulations, Coach Steve Barkin for all your teams' accomplishments! It is without further ado that the presentation of the trophy shall be presented by the Governor of Mississippi: Mr. Ronald Grover.

Mr. Grover, who also serves as the Global Justice head agent in the state, walked up to Barkin and his players, the trophy in his two hands. He gave his speech:

"It is with great pleasure, by the power that is invested in me as the Governor of Mississippi, to present this trophy to the Middleton Mad Dog football coach and the athletic director, Mr. Steve Barkin, for his football team's great performance in this Mississippi High School Activities Association Football Series! Congradulations, Middleton Mad Dogs!!!!!"

At the conclusion of his speech, Governor Grover gave Barkin the trophy. He placed the wooden base at the nearby pedastal, covered in the Mad Dog confetti which covered the Tigers' football field. Barkin took the crystal football and hugged it gently. His hard work from early August to December had finally paid off, all for this trophy, a symbol of Middleton High's accomplishments.

He raised it up in the air. The glow of the stadium lights enhanced the crystal's glare. One at a time, the Mad Dog players, cheerleaders, and coaches hoisted the trophy with their hands for a brief moment before Ron and Kim, the last Mad Dog football player and cheerleader, respectively, to touch the trophy, put the $90G crystal football back on its strong wooden base. As the crystal football was put to rest on its base, Kim smiled with Ron and Ron smiled back.

The governor then made the other speech that he prepared: the naming of the Most Valuable Player of the MHSAA series. A second trophy appeared in the form of a plaque saying "MVP of MHSAA SERIES" in solid 24k gold. On top of the title was a gold engraving of a football player stiff-arming a defensive player.

First, Governor Grover walked up to Ron:

"Ron 'Unstoppable' Stoppable, your hard work, athleticism and good sportsmanship is beyond any other athlete I have met, on or off the field! In the face of the mightiest team in all of Mississippi, the South Panola Tigers, you have scored 13 total touchdowns against them. On top of that, you also have saved the world multiple times with one of the most respected crimefighters in the world, Kim Possible!"

"Aww, Guv, it was nothing! The Ron-man saving the world and fighting against bad guys with KP is all in a day's work!" the star tailback smiled with a slight blush.

"Thereby," Governor Grover continued "by the power that is invested in me in the State of Mississippi, I present to you the MVP Trophy of the MHSAA series!!!!" He gave the plaque, worth around $9,000, to Ron.

Ron exclaimed with tears, embracing the plaque "This is...... this is the greatest moment of my life."

Kim then gave a clearing of her throat, as Ron reconsidered his words "....next to KP becoming my bon-diggiest girlfriend, ever!"

Kim gave a very deep and sexy smile with those words.

Rufus then jumped from the Stoppable's parents, waving a MVP pennant with the Mad Dog colors. "Yay, Ron!!!!!!!"

With Kim embracing him from behind in the greatest show of her love, Ron hoisted the MVP trophy in both of his hands.

"BOO-YAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Ron exclaimed, celebrating the two great accomplishments at the same time.

He couldn't wait for Coach Barkin's victorious post-game speech.


	144. Victory Speech

Time: 11:20 pm

Place: South Panola Fieldhouse - Visitors' Locker Room

A few of the Mad Dog cheerleaders stood outside, trying to brave the cold as snow flurries began to fall upon them.

"This is a beautiful snowfall, huh, K!" Bonnie proudly said to Kim with Junior at her side.

"Yep, B!" Kim nodded her head, overlooking the snow flurries pelting the roof of the Tiger fieldhouse. "It's so spankin' when we have snow! Wonder if it is going to affect the way home though?"

"Don't think so, K. I've checked my yPod and Summer Gale says that the snow is going to clear up by later on in the morning hours so I think we're good."

"That's great, B!" Kim replied, then the issue with Veruca came up that turned Kim's smile that she held for the last hour upside down. "But, then, there's Veruca out there!"

"Don't worry, K." Bonnie cheered up Kim with a smile, "you'll foil Veruca's plans just like you did last time!"

"I am of the agreeing with my Bonnie, Kim Possible!" Junior added in "I've have been of the seeing of you in the actionying when we were once enemies, but now we are of the allying with each other with you!"

"That's good, Junior!" Kim smiled before staring out at South Panola's football field. "We need everyone we got in order to throw Veruca behind bars .... for good."

* * *

The Mad Dog players gathered round in the visitors' locker room. They were hooting and hollering about this victory that they would tell their children and their children's children for decades to come. Some of the players were still in their jerseys while others put on their athletic shorts with their new shirts titled "MIDDLETON MAD DOGS - MHSAA STATE CHAMPIONS" on it. Even a few players brought pajamas with them.

Ron was taking off his beaten and battered number 7 jersey and still felt the warm love that he has for his Kim. He was now going to wear his pajamas for the trip back home.

Barkin, with a heavy jacket, opened the door to his excited players for his post-game speech with a tear in his eye:

_This is a great day for Mad Dog football history! *sniffles* Not only did you defeat the Tigers and win the game and series but also you proved yourself to be true Mad Dog football have made me as a head coach very proud of each and every single one of you. You have shown heart, grit, and determination against such heavy odds and especially against one of the best programs we faced up against in the form of South Panola. We trained very hard from August to December to attain such a high position that very few high school teams can ever attain! And our results have paid off in the form of a rare trophy! Once again, I am proud of every one of you! Your combined abilities on and off the field have provided a positive view of our town of Middleton!_

_Because of all of your hard work, you won't have any practice tomorrow *smiles*! Now I think y'all need your rest for the 4-hour trip back to Middleton and *begins to shiver a little bit* I think it's getting cold out there so feel free to sip on the hot chocolate that the country of Sweden imported to here for tonight's ballgame. The boosters are also out there with a much-needed dinner for all of you who have put forth the effort in this game!_

_Tomorrow, though, I want all 90 of you to get dressed up because we are going to be recognized by both the Mayor of Middleton and the Mississippi House of Representatives! So, I want y'all to be on your best behaviors ever! Do you understand?_

Ron and the other 89 Mad Dog players present gave a resounding response:

"YES SIR!!!!"

Barkin smiled and then turned to one of the most religious players on the team: Josh Mankey, the third-string linebacker.

Kyle Broflovski and Ron said their own prayers to themselves for a safe route back because of their Jewish backgrounds.

Josh prepared to lead the rest of the team in a brief prayer to God thanking Him for the win and also prayed for the safe 4-hour trip back to Middleton High.

After the prayer finished, Kyle and Ron joined back as all the players raised their hands together.

"WHO WE ARE?????

MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHO WE ARE?????

MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHO WE ARE?????

MAD DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(barking sounds)

* * *

MAD DOGS !!!!!!!!

And the players departed the locker room for the night.

* * *

Kim awaited her hero of the game and, of course, there he was .... Ron Stoppable, the star tailback that helped Middleton defy the odds to defeat South Panola. She was still in her cheerleading uniform, warmups, the top and her jacket. The flurries has already started to lift, just like Bonnie said but it was still bitterly cold.

"So how is my football star and boyfriend doing?" Kim asked with a welcoming grin.

"Fine, KP! Even a little cold couldn't stop the Ron-man from doing his thing!" Ron laughed before thinking of the hot chocolate and the supper that the booster club prepared. "Let's get something to eat and hope if a few Nacoes are still there!"

"Right with ya, Ron!" Kim agreed as they prepared to go to the feeding area.

Bonnie and Junior joined hands with each other to the other side, getting to know a little bit more about each other through a hot chocolate conversation.

The Winter Formal for these two couples was no more than 24 hours away.

However, a former cheerleader wished to have a boyfriend and much of her life back ... and she was still behind bars.


	145. Redeemer

Time: 10:00pm, Friday

Place: Southern Mississippi Juvenille Detention Center, cell number C19

Inside cell C19, Camille Leon, now under the identity ERKJ3824 on her orange prison uniform, laid down on her bunk in her cell. She was injected with drugs that negated her powers so her shapeshifting powers would be rendered useless.

She continued to stare out at the cloudy night sky from her barred window, thinking of how her life could've been different if she were best friends with Kim and Bonnie instead of the evil and sick Veruca. She remembered how on that fateful day in first grade in which she faced that decision in her life to join on Veruca's side and bully them around.

The deb even wished to have these drugs that the local authorities injected in her system... permanately. She only wished if she had not gone to great lengths to abuse her body, no thanks to Dr. Leon and his "miracle" chemicals. She was nothing more than a mere lab rat by her very uncle, her flesh and blood.

It felt like that she had a good side that was supressed by her darker self.

But now she was awaiting trial and time was running short for her. Since Building 6, the notorious max-security facility on the premesis, burned down, its residents were caught one by one and put into different facilities. Camille breathed a sigh of relief

All Camille wanted to do, however, was different from the crimes that she had already committed against Kim, Tara, and Caitlin. She was paying the heavy punishment for such a price. Even though she would not experience the horrors of Building 6, she was still going to be stuck in this same cell until the age of 21.

Camille wanted to pray to God for forgiveness for the first time since being banned from the local church, _Please God!!!! Please forgive me for what I have done to Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and Caitlin!!!!!_

Yet, even the Divine Creator could not hear the deb's pleas for forgiveness as the cold air from the outside world seeped into her cell.

For the first time in her life, Camille shed tears, but her tears were not of revenge like against Kim, Tara, or Caitlin, but tears of a crying plea: a cry for help similar to that of a puppy that has been kicked around by its abusive owner that possessed heavy boots on a daily basis.

"I wish, so like, for something that can save me!" Camille wailed in the prison-issue pillow. Her hot tears were permeating the pillow, fearing that there was no hope for her.

Then, the former deb heard the clanging of her cell bars. It was her jailer, batting his baton against the bars of her cell.

"Lights out!" the jailer yelled out, "Prisoner Leon!" He called out her name. "Here is your community service project for tomorrow!"

Camille jumped out and clenched the bars hard, hoping that she would not pick up trash on the highway in a chain gang.

"Please, jailer, I don't want to be so, like, in a chain gang!" Camille sniffled with tears in her eye.

"No, Prisoner Leon!" the jailer declared, "you are going to work ... at the Winter Formal at Middleton High School!"

Thinking back to one of her failed plots of obtaining Ron, the first thought that came to Camille's mind .... was Kim! If anyone can forgive for what damage the deb had done to the Possible family, it would be her.

"I, so like, accept it!" Camille hurriedly said to the jailer before the lights turned off.

She stretched her body before resting it on the bunkbed for the night.

Camille knew that this was her only shot at forgiveness to Kim and her friends for what she had done to them.


	146. Triumphant Road Home

Time: 11:25pm, Friday

Place: Dunlap Stadium Parking Lot - Visitor's Side

"Well, my love," Junior sighed to Bonnie as he chattered his teeth, despite the fact that he had his yellow muscle shirt on, "it is of the goodbyeing then for tonight!"

"I know, my Junior, but don't worry," Bonnie replied "I'll see you tomorrow evening for the Winter Formal!"

"I am of the happeying to see you then, my Bonnie" Junior smiled before giving a big hug to his new girlfriend.

"Bye, Junior!" Bonnie said with a wave of her beautiful hand.

"Bye, my love!" Junior replied before seeing his Bonnie getting into one of the cheer vans, the second one. He waved his hankie, fighting back a few tears.

* * *

"This is some of the best hot chocolate ever!" Ron exclaimed, now that he was in his pajamas. His pads, equipment, and jersey were all in his bag. He was also consuming a bag of Nacoes that Bueno Nacho provided exclusively for him after the game.

The steam of hot cocoa in both their cups and the Nacoes were warm but not as warm as the two hearts between Kim and Ron.

"I do agree, Ron!" Kim chuckled now that she was also , "chocolate from Sweden are always spankin' in these cold Mississippi winter nights!" She smiled to her BFBF as he put his bag in the charter bus. He was also wearing the heavy coat that David packed for him.

"So, KP, ready to hit back on the road?" Ron then asked. He then began to yawn, knowing that a 30-carry, 196-yard, four-touchdown performance in four overtimes has really worn down Unstoppable because the Tigers threw everything they had against him throughout the course of the series. It was not easy, at all, but he was happy that the Mad Dogs emerged with one of its greatest wins in its football history. But he needed a good night's sleep, knowing that he not only has the recognition ceremonies by both the Mayor and the House in the morning but also the important Winter Formal with his Kim coming up tomorrow night.

"Me too, Ron!" Kim yawned as well, knowing full well that she, too, was going to have the most important night of her life tomorrow with the Formal coming up and also to investigate what Veruca was up to.

* * *

Time: 11:30pm

After 10 minutes, Kim changed into her pajamas. She was happy that she accomplished the best two-week cheering span of her life through this series. Both she and Ron were holding their hands together, smiling at each other.

James and Ann, who packed up their car to head back to Middleton rushed up to their daughter as soon as they .

"Kimberly," Ann smiled, "I'm so proud of you!" She laughed with tears of joy as she embraced her daughter, a gift for doing a job well-done for cheering on the Mad Dogs for all seven games.

James then joined in the embrace, "My Kimmie-Cub!!!! I knew you could do it!!!!"

"Aww....thanks, Mom and Dad! I guess anything really is Possible for a Possible!" Kim said with a smile in the hugs of both of her parents.

"And thanks, Ronald," the man of the Possible household congradulated Unstoppable's hand "for proposing a date with my daughter for the Winter Formal. It takes a lot of determination and responsibility, Ronald, for an advanced level of relationship such as this!"

"It was nothing, .P!" Ron smiled, "The Ron-Man will always defend his Kim to the end, right KP!"

Kim smiled, "Right, Ron!" Then she had one other business to take care of with her mom: her anniversary pendant.

"Oh, and Mom," Kim suddenly said, "here's your pendant back." She unzipped her cheer bag to reveal her mom's diamond pendant, still intact after the theft a week ago.

"My....my pendant!" Ann exclaimed with a weep "Ohhhh....thank you, Kimberly!!!!" She said this with a tight embrace to her daughter.

Then Ann took a look at her watch. She grimaced at the time: 11:37. Both the Mad Dog football team and the cheerleading squad plan to leave Dunlap Stadium at 11:45. "You two gotta hurry!" she exclaimed "You don't wanna stay in Batesville forever!"

Kim laughed briefly, "I know, Mom, I put my stuff in the first cheer van and Ron put his stuff in the charter bus. Rufus is already hitching a ride with Ron's parents. So we're prepared for anything!"

"See you back in Middleton, Kimmie-cub!" James yelled back as both Possible parents got in the car. Anne waved to her daughter.

Kim smiled back to the mother that bore her in her arms at birth with a wave of her hand as her parents drove off into the cold Batesville night.

Ron shivered in the cold despite his dad's jacket as Kim gazed into his brown eyes.

"KP, I....I hope that the...that our....our love can be ... be brighter than the la...lasers in the ar..arcade!"

Kim, whom was comfortable, grinned at her boyfriend. "Ron, you say the smartest things about me!" They gave each other a good-night kiss!

"See you in Middleton, KP!" Ron called out as he boarded the lead charter bus.

"You too, Ron!" Kim replied as she approached the first cheer van.

Kim blew a kiss and Ron caught it. He put her kiss in his pajama pockets for safekeeping.

Ron then boarded the charter bus and found an empty seat to sit down. He set up the pillow against the window to sleep for the next 4 hours.

The hydraulics to the bus hissed as the doors closed. The three charter buses carrying the battered but extremely happy Mad Dog football team pulled out the parking lot and began their triumphant journey home.

* * *

The first van consisted of Kim, Bebe, Caitlin, Sharpay, and Lisa

The second van had Marcella, Libby, Bonnie, Brittany, and Lilly.

The third van had Tara, London, Maddie, Kate, and Crystal.

The fourth van had Felix, Hope, Crystal, Bailey, and Liz.

Bonnie, in the second van, began her four-hour slumber, singularly thinking of Junior being her perfect date to go to the formal. Her sexy jade eyes closed with the last thing that she saw for the night being the top of the van.

Tara yawned in the third cheer van, tired and exhausted from a very eventful two and a half weeks, from the trials and tribulations with Veruca to her brief stint behind bars. She had practically seen the close bond between her fellow cheerleaders mature over such a brief span of time. She was wearing her cheer top with pajama bottoms on.

London Tipton was right behind her, now completely in her pajamas. "Are we gonna stop somewhere for some snacks?" the heiress asked.

"Yeah," Tara replied, "on the way out."

"Still," London sighed, "this trip home is going to be so much better and more upbeat than that stupid 6-hour trip after Game 2!" She shuddered at the thought of traveling down those dark Delta roads in the middle of a thunderstorm after the 30-point blowout when they had no leadership. Tonight, though, was a different story.

Tara nodded her head, put the blanket over most of her body for extra comfort and warmth, and immediately went to sleep. London just simly leaned her head against the paneling of the van and shut off her eyes, going to sleep as well.

* * *

Kim, meanwhile, pulled out her favorite pillow in the middle seat and began to sleep in the head cheer van. The important date with Ron still remained on her mind.

Mrs. Johnson opened and closed the van door, pulled the keys in the ignition and the motor started up. The four buses made their way out of the lot and prepared their way down Interstate 55. First of all, they had to stop at a nearby convenience store for snacks and drinks.

Meanwhile, the MHSAA Series Trophy, the one that the Mad Dogs worked so hard to attain, was being stored in a Middleton PD car by Officer Hobble.

The Mad Dog caravan then traversed down the off-ramp from Highway 6 to I-55 to make their way back to Middleton High School.

* * *

Time: 1:15am, Saturday

Place: on Interstate 55 near Vaughn, MS.

Kim was sleeping peacefully, dreaming of having a perfect dance with Ron on the hardwood floors of the Middleton Gym. She clutched her Kimmunicator just in case Wade informed her on what Veruca was up to.

Then the Kimmunicator vibrated, still not intending on disturbing anyone.

Kim's emerald eyes then stirred awake, "Hey, Wade, we won the game!"

"Yep," Wade replied, in his pajamas, and sipping on a soda, "I saw it on TV! I just had to say: Way to Go, Mad Dogs!"

Kim replied this with a grinning expression across her face. Then she turned to the other concern that she had... Veruca.

"Wade, what's the latest sitch on Veruca?" she asked in a whisper.

Wade, typed on his computer with a puzzled look on his face. Kim knew from that look that something was going on and it was not good news, from what she indicated.

"Veruca... had disappeared again!" Wade exclaimed quietly with a scratch on his head.

Kim was perplexed by this, "Disappeared? How?"

"She..she was in her mansion the last time I checked about 40 minutes ago. And from the security cameras that are still active around her mansion, she has not left the premises at all!" Wade concluded from his findings.

"Hmmm...... if she had disappeared but hasn't left her house..... this sitch just keeps on getting more confusing for me!" Kim said in a very low tone of voice. She felt that the sitch involving Veruca since her escape has now become a tangled web that only she can completely unravel.

"Keep me updated, Wade! I need some sleep though because it is 1:15 in the morning!" Kim smiled before yawning.

"I'm on it, Kim!" Wade replied grinning, knowing that even a former peanut-heiress deb cannot escape the long arm of John Law and the computer genius. "Good night!"

"Night, Wade!" Kim droopily said with a lowering of her eyes. She snored back to sleep as the vans continued to make their way down the interstate.

* * *

The head cheerleader knew that it was a matter of timing to contain that evil Veruca for a second time.

But Kim did not know of what plans Veruca had in store for her.


	147. Resoluton

Time: 3:40am

Place: Middleton High

In the charter buses, Ron's dreams with Kim for the Formal came to an interruption when the lights turned on.

Ron groaned with his blanket, "Ohhh...man!!! What a night!"

Barkin came to the front of the bus and made a brief announcement:

"I hope you enjoy your restful four-hour sleep on the bus because about 5 hours from now, we are going to be recognized by the Mayor and then to the Mississippi Senate in Jackson.

We are going to meet here at 8:30am sharp on the parking lot! About four school buses will provide us the transportation!

Dress is churchy formal, so I expect to see all of you Mad Dog players in a suit!

I expect all of you to be on your best behavior,

And once again ..... MAD DOGS ARE NUMBER ONE!!!!! *saying this excitedly*"

One by one, the players left the buses and headed home for some more rest.

Ron called up his dad, David to pick him up. Around 15 minutes later, David swung by with Rufus.

"Good game, son!" the actuary smiled. Rufus came up behind him with a green pennant marking "Victory" on it.

"Thanks, Dad and hey Rufus!" Ron smiled before getting into the car.

When he got back to the house, he set the alarm for 7:30 and plopped onto his bed, with Rufus by his side. Through the 3-hour sleep, he singlularly resumed his thoughts on Kim.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 3:45am

Kim was still asleep when the cheer vans finally arrived at Middleton High. Even though the weather was extremely cold outside, around 25 degrees, her love of Ron and the kiss that she felt in the post-game ceremonies kept her warm throughout the drive. Still, she too had the sitch with both ending Veruca's plans and the Winter Formal in front of her.

Bonnie, Tara, and the other cheerleaders already made their plans with their parents to come and pick them up in the dead of the night.

James and Ann, who were unpacking their belongings, went to the first cheer bus to see their crime-fighting daughter, sound asleep. Game 7 really took a toll on her.

Ann cooed at the sight, "Awww.....my daughter is sleeping so peacefully!"

"I know, Ann," James smiled, "so where are the boys?"

"Tim text-messaged me, saying that they were going to sleep at a friend's house. They also brought along their church clothes with them so that they have the recognition ceremony taken care of." Ann said with the cold winter wind blowing against her hair.

"That's good," James replied before turning to his sleeping daughter. He now said in a low voice, "I think she's starting to stir!"

Kim yawned and opened her eyes, albeit in a low tone.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. How was the ride home and where are the Tweebs?" Kim asked groggily.

"It went fine, Kimmie-cub, and the boys are at a friend's place!" James gave his answer "Right now, though, I think you should get some much needed rest!"

Kim then gave a loud yawn, "I think.....you're right, Dad!" She got her cheer bag while Ann took care of her suitcase. The tired cheer captain was then escorted to the car by her parents. The three got out of the Middleton High parking lot and approached the Possible household.

As soon as she got home, Kim immediately laid down on her bed upstairs, and slept. She then crept into the covers. Even then, she was still shivering.

_It's a good thing Mom turned the heater on!_

Kim knew that this day would be a long one as well.

* * *

Time: 7:30am, Saturday

Place: Stoppable household

The alarm rang out on Ron's alarm clock. He groaned and tried to reach for it, but Rufus turned it off for him first.

Once his pet mole rat turned off the alarm, Ron got out of bed and stretched, welcoming in a cold and cloudy Saturday, but that it was the most important Saturday of his life.

"Morning, Mom and Dad! Any new breakfast for the Ron-man?" Ron greeted in his parents with the smell of waffles and toast from the stove.

"Morning, Ronald!" Cecilia proclaimed joyously. She was also proudly holding the morning paper, which had an eight-page special covering the Mad Dogs' four overtime Game 7 victory over South Panola. And on that front cover was her son, making the game-winning tackle against Deangelo for the attempted two-point conversion. "I can't wait to see my son being recognized by both the Middleton Mayor and the Mississippi Senate in the same day!"

"Morning, son!" David replied with a smile before turning to the other important business of the day. "Ready for your date tonight with Kim?"

"Oh, right, Dad!" Ron exclaimed "The Winter Formal is tonight and I still don't have a tux yet!" He then began to whine a little bit. "I'll just have a cup of coffee if anyone needs me and then I'll get ready to go to the ceremony!"

After showering up, Ron was in his best nice clothes that he could find: a suit though not comparable to a tux. David eventually dropped him off at 8:24am at Middleton High. He and Cecillia joined in with the crowd of the other football parents and boosters.

There, Ron met up with the other Mad Dog players, whom were nicely dressed.

Mr. Barkin then showed up in his Sunday-best, smiling as best as he could. The Mayor of Middleton stood by Barkin's side and announced:

"We, of the city of Middleton, have come here today to celebrate our beloved Middleton Mad Dogs of an accomplishment that will be remembered for generations to come. Your Middleton Mad Dogs are now Mississippi's best high school football team by defeating the heavily-favored South Panola Tigers in the MHSAA Football Series by the final of four games to three!! Congradulations to you, Coach Steve Barkin, for guiding this team through highs and lows and congradulations to your coaching staff as well!!! A special thanks as well to the Mad Dog Booster Club for providing meals on the road!!!"

Barkin wiped away a tear from his eye, thanking the mayor for such positive comments

The mayor eventually shook Ron's hand. Cecilia captured the moment of her son with her camera:

"And thanks to your bravery and leadership skills, Ron, you have made the impossible possible!!"

Ron then resumed his dreamy thoughts of Kim as he walked down from the stage.

The Mad Dogs then gathered around the MHSAA Trophy and had their picture taken for the newspaper.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 2:00pm, Saturday

Place: Mississippi Senate

"We, of the Mississippi Senate, hereby pass this resolution recognizing the Middleton Mad Dogs as the best high school football team in the state of Mississippi!" the lead chairman decreed from a sheet of paper. The senate halls exploded with a standing ovation for 90 of Middleton's Friday-night heroes. Ron sniffled with a tear from his eye. It was another one of his best moments coming true.

After a two-hour drive to Jackson and that the recognition ceremony was complete, Ron and the rest of the Mad Dog enjoyed one of the fanciest lunches in a long while, for it was a buffet-style setting along with a Naco place reserved for the star tailback. He took two plates with him.

"Ahh...... fancy Nacoes, being the star tailback of a winning team, and getting a date with the cheer captain for the Formal, isn't there anything that the Ron-man can't do?" he sighed with a smile as he took his place.

Little did he realize that his date was going to try and put an early end to Veruca's evil plans of ruining their date together.


	148. Mission Veruca

Time: 9:00am, Saturday

Place: Possible household

Kim stirred awake from her slumber, still worn out from the final game of the series. The cold air from last night continued to seep into her room. However, she could smell the warm pancakes coming from the kitchen. It enticed her to jump out of bed and slide downstairs to where her warm breakfast was waiting.

"Hmmm.. no Tweebs flying around in their stupid rockets, my dress is ready for the Formal with Ron, and .... mmm ... pretty much sums up my day!" Kim said in preparing her iteninary for this all-important night for her before the other sitch of Veruca popped into her mind "Oh, right!!! Veruca!! I gotta root her out before she does something stupid!"

She sat at the table and started to enjoy her mom's pancakes. "Morning, Mom!"

"Morning, sweetie!" Ann gave a warm welcome to her beautiful daughter. She was cooking up some eggs as well. "Ready for your date tonight with Ronald?"

"Yep, Mom! I have everything ready! My dress is laid out on the hangar, all wrinkle-free!" Kim replied with a smile.

Around 20 minutes later, Kim was done with her breakfast and her mom was cleaning the dishes when the Kimmunicator beeped. Kim activated it and Wade appeared.

"Wade, anything on Veruca?" Kim asked to Wade.

"I still can't find her, Kim! I've tried to scan the entire Salt Mansion and there's still nothing!" Wade replied in typing up his computer. As he scrolled down the security cameras in the ruined mansion in front of Kim, she was stunned that Veruca was not in her room or in the kitchen or .... anywhere!

"Nothing!!!! This is so getting weird for me!" Kim exclaimed.

"That's why you have to go ASAP and break into her mansion and find out what she's planning to do before something...horrible happens!" Wade demanded urgently.

"I know, Wade, but there's one little ish to this sitch: How am I going to get to the Salt Mansion? She has those .... dogs, remember!"

Wade did some further typing and analysis "I did a little background check on these poochies and found out that their only weakness is ... meat. Luckily, there are three abandoned butcher trucks lying around in the courtyard. Veruca, herself, feeds her personal wild dogs from these trucks around twice a day and they would toy around with the meat for hours. But once they finish off the meat, it's back to guarding the mansion again, and they are extremely vicious in guarding their territory. The time that she feeds them is 10:00am and they play with the meat for 1 hour , so I'd strongly advise to you to slip into the mansion, root out her plans, and come back in one piece."

"I'm on it, Wade, and don't worry, I've been through rougher sitches before with Ron and we turned out fine!" Kim replied with a wink in her eye.

"I'm sending in a chopper. It will land you to the nearest house overlooking the Salt mansion. You'll be armed with the usual equipment! When you collect all of the necessary intel we need, you'll radio me in and the chopper will pick you up!" Wade explained the final details of his plan to put a lid on Veruca's plans, whatever they might be.

"Tell them I'm on my way!" Kim commanded with determination. "I have a deb to throw behind bars!!!"

The chopper, as Wade had promised, eventually picked up the teen heroine and headed toward the deplorable mansion where evil plans were being brewed in Veruca's twisted mind.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 7:50am

Place: Underground Lab, Salt Mansion.

Veruca slowly groaned after waking up on the steel table. She had rested for the last 3 hours after the chemicals were injected into the peanut deb's body.

Dr. Leon greeted the deb enthusiastically. "Veruca, how are you feeling today?"

Veruca replied groggily, "I feel okay, Dr. Leon. What do these chemicals do anyways?"

The doctor groaned. It felt like he was telling the same thing twice. "Veruca, the chemicals can change you into any person you desire, they can make you invisible, and you can teleport anywhere you wish, but I must warn you....." He was about to tell her the disadvantages that eventually doomed Camille.

Veruca, though, cut him off in mid-sentence. "I don't want to hear 'warning this' or 'warning that'! These powers are just the first step in my plans of gaining revenge! Soon enough, Kim would fall to my knees and BEG for mercy!!!!!" She cackled wildly before she was out of breath from her evil laugh. "I'm going to sleep and then feed my dogs at 10! They're hungry for their meat!" She smiled before heading to a break room where there was a couch.

The spoiled deb lied down for the next two hours, allowing the doctor's chemicals to take over her entire body.

When she woke up, Veruca headed out of the metal door to the ruins of her mansion. She grabbed her keys that unlocked the abandoned meat trucks that were outside.

The dogs greeted her with panting, knowing that they would NEVER attack their master: Veruca Salt. They were trained from birth to defend the mansion from any intruder.

"Here, my dogs, is your lunch!" Veruca sneered as she distributed the meat to every single dog, thirty in numberm from the truck. "There! Enjoy your meal!" she snapped coldly before slamming the door and locking the abandoned truck up.

The dogs began to gnaw on the meat as Veruca snicked on her way back to the lab, unaware that Kim was on her awful scent.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 11:00am

Place: A Mansion across from the Salt House

The chopper landed quickly on the roof. Kim, now in her mission outfit, slid down the ladder to the rooftop. She crawled where she could spot the Salt Mansion and gasped at how fast the mansion had degraded into.

Kim then activated the earpiece for communication with Wade.

"Wade, are there any crawlspaces within the mansion?" Kim asked in activating her earpiece.

"There is at the top of the house," Wade explained on the other end, typing in his computer "a shaft that leads from the roof to a dumbwaiter. There lies a shaft on the second floor and ........"

"And.......... Wade, you there?" Kim wanted to know but all she heard was silence for a minute.

"I have detected a strange void on my radar between the Salt Mansion and the Leon Mansion!" Wade broke the silence. It was the long and vast stretch of land between the two mansions that he drew his greatest attention to.

"Duh, it's just another strip of land! It's not like there's anything there!" Kim exclaimed without a bit of interest in mere grass and soil.

"Or is it?" The Kimmunicator with Wade's face on it detached itself from Kim's hip and sprouted metallic wings. It buzzed across the street and onto the plot of land that Kim was talking about. Wade, back in his room, also attached some of the wires from his fly-earpiece into Kim's Kimmunicator to hear a bit better. The Kimmunicator also used the metallic legs to burrow into the ground and about 8 inches in, the robotic legs tapped lightly on metal.

Kim heard the light scrape of metal and gasped. "The land!! It's hollow!!!" The Kimmunicator used its wings to fly back in the cold wind into Kim's hip.

"That's what I suspect!" Wade said, knowing that a tap of metal could only mean one thing ... a hidden lab or worse! "I think a piece of land like this should've been used for villainous means! We have to contain Veruca's plans, whatever they are, at its source or she won't be stopped!"

"On it, Wade!" Kim replied through the Kimmunicator and placed it back on her right hip. From her backpack, she pulled out her long-range hairdrying grappling gun and also attached a second short-range hairdrying grappling gun to the long-range. The hook from the long-range gun made its attachment as it wrapped around the still-strong and large chimney of the Salt Mansion. The hook from the short-range grappling gun attached itself to the chimney of the mansion that she was on. She pulled on the rope, affirming its extra-duty strength to carry one teen heroine to stop a maniac deb.

Kim began her perilous climb. She wanted to make sure never to look down, for fear of being squashed to death by oncoming traffic.

But it was not the traffic that she feared the most.

When she first caught eye upon the Salt property, Kim gasped at how degraded the place had become in only a few days. Rubbish was everywhere: garbage that reeked of limburger cheese and Diablo packets from Bueno Nacho that have been expired for 2 years.

Kim did her best to ignore the awful smells and slowly advanced her way on the grappling rope. The cold winds were blowing against her red hair, but she had no fear across her face.

She then saw the three abandoned and wrecked meat trucks adorned the property, along with Veruca's wild pack of guard dogs, which were now asleep.

Upon seeing them, Kim knew that she had to make as little noise as she could in order to avoid detection and to avoid certain death by these meat-crazed poochies.

The poochies snored peacefully with their meat, unaware of Kim's presence.

The redhead finally made her way to the roof of the Salt Mansion. She then carefully removed the grating and placed it gently on the ground and started to crawl in.

______________________________________________________________________________

Once inside the shaft, Kim whispered in the earpiece to Wade.

"Wade, I'm in! What's next?" she asked.

Wade spoke through, "The dumbwaiter is going to be 30 feet in front you." Kim crawled from the opening to the dumbwaiter that was now in front of her. She crawled into the narrow space that allowed her to fit in the dumbwaiter. She lowered down to the level where another crawling of the ventilation shaft led her to a faint laugh.

"Wade, I hear some noise!" Kim whispered through the earpiece.

"The origin of the source is right below your position!" Wade replied.

Kim crawled closer and closer to the source of the sound. A nearby grating overlooked a series of test tubes and chemicals. She was directly on top of Dr. Leon's lab!

"And I found Veruca at last!" Wade exclaimed, "She is right under your position!"

"Got it, Wade!" Kim affirmed before observing everything from the grating.

But she was about to experience a devious plan far more disturbing than she could even imagine.


	149. Trial By Fire

Time: 11:30am

Down below, Veruca came out of the lavatory. She was done with one of the most horrible acts against God from the bathroom, for she had torn out several pages from the Bible, spat on a couple of pages and flushed them all down the toilet. And she cackled madly of tearing pages out from the Holy Scripture into little pieces and treated it as if it were confetti.

Dr. Leon was waiting for this daughter of Satan.

"So, Veruca, I have a new addition to the plan!" the mad doctor said with a smirking evil smile.

This caught the deb's attention, "What do you have in mind?" Shreds of the Bible that she tore were on the floor.

"Well," Dr. Leon began to explain, "you know how much Camille is worth, right?"

"Yes, yes, I know," the deb snapped, "she is worth around $8 million! Her cat food empire spans the entire South! I'm not that dumb!!" Then she lowered her voice, "But I've heard that her dad took her money away for calling him a pig!"

Dr. Leon simply laughed with joy, "Veruca, I know that my brother is nothing but a weak-willed jackass that is simply a coward in disguise! He knew he would NEVER detatch his daughter's inheritance! He is simply all bark and no bite! Besides, I wanted to get my hands on some of her inheritance!!!!" He evily smiled.

Veruca was still confused, "And why is that?"

"Well, according to the Leon family will, it stipulates that when the heiress unexpectedly dies or is unable to carry on her traditions of the Leons, all that inhertance money goes to the oldest relative of the family who is not the parents to the heiress!" Dr. Leon explained before pointing to himself, indicating that he was the oldest relative. He was somewhere in his early 50s so he fit the category to a T.

"So where are you getting with all of this?" Veruca sneered with a snob look.

Dr. Leon chuckled, "And that's why........". He then took out a ,44 Magnum revolver and tossed it to Veruca. "........I want you to kill my niece, Camille Leon, so that the inheritance money can be acquired to me and you!"

Veruca snickered with cold blood icing in her veins, "Hmmmm.....I did enjoy the sight of blood like I did with those idiots in Building 6, maybe Camille's blood spatter from a bullet would attract my instincts a bit more. That former 'friend' of mine was nothing more than a mere puppy whom I can beat over and over again until I want to see its last heartbeat!!!! I wanted to see her to bow to me and she had done so, but now she must pay the ultimate price for her betrayl: a single bullet with her name on it!" It was clear that her experiences in Building 6 were causing her to lose more of her sanity. She politely declined his 50-50 offer of money, instead suggesting that she should keep only 25% while Dr. Leon would get the other 75, "Dr. Leon, I appreciate for what you did to me with the chemicals, but I am far more in it for the kill rather than the money!"

______________________________________________________________________________  
Above, Kim could hardly take this in. This was emotionally deeper than any sitch that was set before her. She has to save the life of an enemy that framed two of her friends and sent them to jail. Her heart chilled with fear of how Veruca wanted to graphically kill off her former friend just because she didn't visit her in jail. She did not realize that Veruca's sudden hatred of Camille was deeper than she thought.

Luckily for her, the ducts were made from a metal that was completely soundproof.

"Wade, are you getting all of this?" Kim asked with a tiny whisper. She had fear inside of her.

"Yes, I have, Kim! This situation is getting more volatile than I have expected!" Wade exclaimed with panic. "Well, whatever you do, do not give your position away! We need all the intel we can get! Oh and one other thing, you should also attach the device that I gave you." Kim looked inside her backpack and got out one device that looked like a detonator to a bomb. It automatically contacts the police first before creating a small explosion. "And the mad scientist right below you is the reason why Camille has become what she has. His name is Doctor Gervis Jeebs Leon, also goes by the alias of Jeebs as Camille's leading butler!"

"Related?" Kim asked with a raised eyebrew, now wanting to fit the very last pieces of the puzzle together.

"Dr. Leon is her uncle, Kim. He was on the board of directors of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and his work was well-respected and well-renowned throught the world!" Wade explained while typing on his computer.

"So why did he become Dr. Mad Scientist?" Kim wanted to know because he was the cause of putting two of Kim's fellow cheerleaders and good friends behind bars for crimes they didn't commit.

"He was banned from the ASPS in 2006 when they were outraged at his 'breakthrough' work of shapeshifting plastic surgery that allows people to transform whoever they want at any time! He only tested this technology on animals before he tested it on his very first human subject .... Camille herself!"

Kim snapped her fingers, "So that's where Chemical Z and Mixture 1417 come from!"

"Correct, Kim! Also a few other chemicals can grant the user invisibility and teleportation! But if we can root out the lab, we can prevent more of these dangerous surgeries from happening!" Wade suggested to her to use the police-calling device which has a timer set for ten minutes.

Kim nodded her head, attached the device above her head and activated it, and continued to observe the awful plottings occurring right below her.

_Veruca must have twisted more nuts in her hollow head than I can even imagine, _Kim thought to herself as she peered in for a closer look. _Veruca now has no more friends! The only 'friend' she has now .... is herself! Still, it's hard to believe that she wanted to personally kill Camille in this manner just to give Dr. Leon her inheritance money!! This is, in my Ron's words, sick and wrong!!!_  
______________________________________________________________________________

"Ah, but these same chemicals can also pin the blame on any enemy that you dare oppose!" Dr. Leon added in.

"Hmmm.....that part can come in handy later, but for right now, the first order of business for me is to kill Camille! And I think I know how!" She rubbed her hands and chuckled with an evil glee, staring at a nearby Winter Formal poster that Camille got around a week ago.

What Camille did not realize that one of the corrections officers who was there on the night that she got issued her duties apparently overheard the other officer talking with Camille about her duties and when he left on his shift early in the morning, he told this news to Veruca.

"It is all adding in! In the middle of the dance, I will take everyone by surprise and hold Camille at gunpoint! Then, on the roof of the Middleton Gym, one gun-shot shall be heard as I kick the dead Camille's body over the edge, thereby giving me the total edge over everyone at Middleton High, once and for all!!!! I shall laugh at the blood spatter of Camille! I shall finally spit upon that Gulf War hero-loser of a principle and make him forget his phony God and Jes......whoever that was......and make him bow to ME!!!!!!! I am a goddess now!!!!!! A Goddess of Worship in which eveyone shall kiss to my feet!!!!!!!!!"

______________________________________________________________________________

Kim, still above Veruca in the shaft, gasped at this mad proposal by her former high school arch-nemesis. She was still throughout her entire body, not just because she had to avoid any sort of detection but also because her words completely put an entire chill in her bones.

"Ohmigosh! She has lost all of her insanity!!!!" she whispered to herself.

But the worst plans of this brutality from Veruca herself were to come.

______________________________________________________________________________

Dr. Leon agreed with a gleeful smile, not regarding that he was giving up his niece's life to this evil madness that is Veruca.

"Oh, and the other part of which you said of your chemicals, Dr. Leon!" Veruca smirked, "I think I know which enemy I want to pin Camille's murder on!"

She instantly transformed into an exact likeliness of Kim, the same tactic used by Camille against Kim a few days earlier. Only this time, it would be used on a different scale.

Dr. Leon was amazed when Veruca transformed into a perfect replica of Kim, right down to the mission clothes.

"I have heard from a cellmate in Building 6 on Camille's successes on using this tactic against those two idiots of Tara and Caitlin and I hope to do the same thing as well against Kim, only that she would be sent to prison for a long time to come, not just for some couple of months! I want that little idiot out of my life and my hair....permanately, and THIS is the best way to do it!" Veruca continued on. "And she will be standing there next to Camille's body and the police will heavily cuff and chain her! It is a dream that will finally come true for me!" She smiled.

Dr. Leon was about to cut her off in midsentence to tell her of the disadvantages of the chemicals, but felt that it was best not to interrupt her moment of triumph.  
_____________________________________________________________________________

"_What is it with debs blaming others for crimes that they have committed?_"

Already completely shocked and aghast by these words of what Veruca said, Kim started to turn back away when a single penny fell out of her pocket. It fell through the grating and onto the floor.

Veruca was the first to notice the fallen penny from the grating. She could tell that it was not the air ducts forcing it down because they have not worked in a while.

"Something just tells me that........" the Kim-Veruca suspected what could be in the grating.

And Dr. Leon confirmed her fears "......we have an intruder!!!"

______________________________________________________________________________

Kim gasped at the fact that she had finally been detected and started to crawl as fast as she could through the ducts.

"Wade, is there any way out of this sitch?" Kim wanted a way to know as she activated the earpiece.

"There is one way out of the ducts and it leads to the back on the house. The only downside is ......"

"Oh no!! You don't mean......!!!!!!!"

"......the dogs are awake!!! You have to get out of there in the next three minutes, sharp!!!!!!"

"I'm on it, Wade!" She crawled faster and faster to the exit.

* * *

Veruca, still in the Kim guise, wanted to root out the intruder, whoever she was.

"I don't want anyone to know my plans to kill Camille. So whoever this intruder is....." Veruca sneered before noticing a button activating a garbage chute that was also connected to an incinerator. "Hmmmm....maybe this would burn the stupid intruder to a crisp! That way, no one will know "

Veruca pushed that button with all of her might!  
_____________________________________________________________________________

Suddenly, the floor from underneath Kim opened up beneath her!

"AAAAHHHH!!!" she screamed before plopping into garbage that smelled like rotten fruit aged by 3 months.

Kim groaned at this disgusting site of refuse, "Ughhhh, this is so not going to look good for the Formal!" Then, she heard a frightening sound behind her. The computerized incineratior roared its flames as it came to life. It then began to suck in the garbage with a powerful suction .

The teen heroine tried to struggle against the garbage but it was no use.

"Wade, we have a little sitch here! I have five minutes left before the detonator explodes and I'm about to become part of a Possible barbecue!!!!" Kim called though her earpiece.

Wade immediately picked this up, "Kim, I'm doing the best I can but it seems that there are encryption layers within Veruca's incinerator!!! It is one of the few things that is still active at that dilapidated mansion!! It's going to take me a couple of minutes to shut it down!!"

"Well can you do it a little faster, Wade ?!?!?!" the redhead demanded, which was now starting to begin to smell like an ashtray and three-month old fruit. The flames were about 200 feet from her.

"I'm trying but it's giving me an ACCESS RESTRICTED area!! I'm going to try to override it!!" Wade then started to panic with sweat beginning to run down her face. He was typing in any key he can to try and prevent Kim from being transformed into a fried crisp.

With the flames now 150 feet away from Kim, the Salt's incinerator grew hotter and hotter around Kim. Beads of sweat now started to pour down her face!

"We only have two and a half minutes left until the explosion, Wade! This is so not look good!" Kim was now in a state of panic as the flames were now just 125 feet away from her.

"I'm trying, Kim!!!!!!!!!!!!! The incinerator is completely complex!!!!!!! Her technicians made sure that it is unbreakable!!!!!! "

The only thing now that stands between her and the 55 feet of garbage to go before being incinerated was her love of Ron and how she would miss him before being burnt into ashes at her future funeral!

"Ron, I miss you so much!" she cried before coming together for one last desperate act of courage. Then she activated the earpiece, "Wade, remember my family motto! Never forget it !!!!


	150. Police Raid

Time: 12:10pm

Place: Salt Mansion

Kim was about to be immolated by fire, 30 feet away from her.

Then, as if some Divine Intervention was put into him, Wade finally managed to click on the right keys to shut down the incinerator. "Incinerator, you power down ......... NOW!!!!!!!" He clicked on the key that helped shut down the Salt's incinerator.

The flames that rose to 1500 degrees Farenheit finally died down in an instant ...... 20 feet away from burning Kim alive.

* * *

When the incinerator stopped working, Veruca tried to hit the button, again and again, but it wouldn't work. She was another victim of Wade's technological superiority.

The Kim-Veruca kicked the machine with utter frustration "Grrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!! Damn incinerator won't work!!!!!!!! Ughhhhh!!!!!! It's time for plan B: the dogs!!!!!!"

* * *

Kim wiped off the sweat of her brow and breathed a sigh of relief, "Whew! That was a close one! Thanks, Wade!"

"Welcome, Kim!" Wade smiled, "It's what I do for a living!"

Kim snickered, "No big! Now all I have to do is to get out of this dump!" She did not want to smell like three-month old fruit for the Formal, which was now 8 hours away

Wade snapped his fingers, "Remember the extra strength bubble-gum I gave you?"

"Yeah?" Kim questioned confusingly.

He explained the anatomy of this special gum, "Twirl the gum around until it forms a rope, then swing it to the duct doors!"

Kim nodded her head and did what Wade instructed. She twirled and twisted the gum around and it was now made into a strong rope that could free her from the garbage.

She swung the most durable part of the gum to the edge of the metal duct where it held firm.

Kim quickly climed the gum rope from the garbage dump back into the ducts and activated the Kimmunicator.

"Now where to, Wade?" she asked, having been through that almost life-threating sitch. Then she smelled herself and was in complete disgust.

"About 150 feet in front you is the exit but it's still guarded by Veruca's pack of wild dogs!" Wade exclaimed, knowing that Kim still has one more hurdle to go in Veruca's torture chamber. "But you only have two minutes left until the detonator explodes!"

* * *

Once she reached the exit, she heard the wild braying and barking of Veruca's dogs that were as mean and nasty as its owner!

The thirty dogs were speeding towards Kim with their supreme might, gnawing their teeth and ready to eat fresh meat!

Kim looked at the dogs with supreme confidence. She took out another one of her useful gadgets: a mousse bottle that turned out to be sleeping powder.

"Nighty-night, poochies!" she smirked before tossing the can in front of the dogs. The mousse bottle instantly exploded and released a cloud of sleeping powder in the air. Veruca's guard dogs instantly fell to their slumber, succumbing to the powers of the powder.

Then, Wade yelled into her earpiece, "Thirty seconds, Kim!!" She immediately hurdled over the fence onto the other side.

"That was so not the drama!" Kim smirked at what she had accomplished.

Through the earpiece, Kim and Wade counted down together.

"Five.....four.......three......two.....one....zero!!!!"

At that moment, the detonator immediately contacted the police of the location of Dr. Leon's lab and then exploded the ground between the Salt and the Leon Mansion. The windows to both Camille's mansion and the old Salt mansion facing the revealed and ruined lab were shattered beyond all repair.

"Now that Dr. Leon's and, hopefully, Veruca's plan is ruined, nothing can stop me from taking my Ron out to the Formal once he's back!" Kim replied.

The same helicopter that dropped Kim off earlier in the day came back to pick her up, unharmed by her experiences.

She could not wait to be back in the arms of her Ron.

* * *

Back at the ruined lab, Dr. Leon was now in tattered clothes. He has suffered a couple of scrapes and his head was dizzy from the sound of the explosion.

He looked around his lab and came to find out that his chemicals, the very chemicals that made Camille and now Veruca into shapeshifting criminals, were now completely destroyed.

"My....my lab!!!! All.....all....my hard work........ruined!!!!" Dr. Leon stuttered speechless at the broken chemicals littered before him. "We gotta escape together, Veruca, before the police come!"

Veruca, who now transformed from her Kim-self back to her old body, chortled at Dr. Leon's misery.

"I just simply love the betrayl of people!" the deb smirked at the sight of the ruined lab, which now suffered under a huge hole. She pulled out the revolver and cocked the hammer, "Hmmm.....I could kill you right now and end your misery, but I'd rather not waste the bullet that I intend upon you!"

This was when the doctor realized that he had been betrayed.

"It is true," Dr. Leon growled, "you ARE nothing more than a hellspawn! I hope the police will get you!!!" He heard the sirens in the distance. Even though the police were going to get him anyways, Dr. Leon hoped to bring down Veruca as well.

But his hoped were completely dashed as Veruca concealed his revolver in her jeans and covered it up with her shirt. She was near the metal door from where she first came in.

"Veruca, if you dare try and exit that metal door ......" Dr. Leon struggled to order Veruca around.

The deb, however, replied with a scoff and exited the metal door without any resistance.

* * *

Once inside her ruined mansion, she had to search somewhere to hide from the police.

"Come on, come on!!! Where is a damn good hiding place for me to run from the law?" Veruca exclaimed, knowing that she did not want her carefully-laid plans to be ruined.

Once again, luck was on Veruca's side as she activated another false brick that led to a secret compartment. It was a small 8' by 10' room with a naked light-bulb as the only lighting source. Veruca clicked it in and it revealed nothing, but it proved to be a safe hiding place from the police.

Veruca chortled, "They'll never find me here!"

* * *

Dr. Leon found himself surrounded by the police once they arrived. Some even arrived by chopper in the huge hole created by Kim's powerful bomb.

"Dr. Gervis Leon!" Officer Hobble of Middleton's finest replied in his Brogue, "you are under arrest for illegal surgical operations and practicing without a medical license! You have the right to remain silent!" He immediately slapped the cuffs on the beleagured doctor.

"I give up, you cops win!" the doctor sighed, and allowed the police to search through the remants of his lab. But, as it turns out, there was no sign of the escaped Veruca anywhere.

She was like an invisible spider ready to consume its fly when the time is right.

As Dr. Leon's rights were being read and was being led away by two tougher cops, he turned his head for the last time at his ruined lab, now being reduced to rubble. He was angry at the fact that he could not get the inheritance. He was angry that he was betrayed by Veruca and now hid in one of the many secret compartments that resided within the Salt Mansion. But what the doctor was the most angry at, and the most shameful as well, was trying to obtain the Leon money by trying to hire a deb who has a history of betrayl and backstabbing to murder her.

Yet, there was no power left in him to do anything as he was led away in a police cruiser, unaware of the damange that his chemicals residing in Veruca would do to others.


	151. Good News and Bad News

Time: 12:45pm, Saturday

Place: Possible household

The helicopter with Kim landed down in the front yard. Kim rushed up to the front porch where James was waiting for her,

"Dad!" she exclaimed after having a near-death experience at Veruca's dilapidated mansion.

"Kimmie-cub! You're all right!" James laughed happily, embracing his daughter. "Did you get that blonde-haired....." He shuddered at Veruca's name "....deb?" James also was a little bit disgusted that his beautiful daughter smelled like three-month old trash and an ashtray but he figured that it was part of the "saving the world" job that Kim is a part of.

Kim gave a smug look, "Dad, it's all over the news!" She and James went inside and turned on the TV with the remote she held in her hand. She plopped on the couch and prepared to revel in the experiences of capturing both Dr. Gervis Leon and Veruca Salt.

_Our top news story today on Channel 5: Dr. Gervis Jeebs Leon was arrested today on the charges of medical malpractice and doing illegal "shape-shifting" surgeries in a hidden lab between the old Salt Mansion and the Leon Mansion! He claimed that these chemicals, legal and illegal, had the ability to transform any person into anyone they wish as long as they had the right skin! Dr. Leon was believed to have tested it on his niece and cat-food heiress, Camille Leon, who is currently behind bars and on Veruca Salt, the ex-peanut heiress that was wanted for the wounding of a police officer. And she is......_

Kim prayed that they caught the monster, "Come on! Come on! Come on!"

_".......not found anywhere in the Salt Mansion! Police have looked everywhere for the wanted deb within the mansion for every single square inch...._

_(TV shows the police scanning through the Salt Mansion, but finding nothing)_

...but she has yet to be found. Dr. Leon claims that she was last seen leaving a vault! Veruca Salt is still extremely armed and extremely dangerous! If you still have any info on her whereabouts, call ........"

She was shocked beyond belief. James too shared the stunned fact that this deb was free from his daughter's grasp.

"I....I knew I placed that detonator on top!" Kim stuttered before seeing the "Wanted" picture of Veruca on the TV. She growled and turned off the TV with the remote and stormed out of the room. She went upstairs to the sanctuary of her room.

"Kim....Kimmie-cub?" James bewilderly asked his fuming daughter, complete in frustration that her prey had not been caught. "Uhh....Ann, are you here?"

"Right here, my James!" Ann sang through the Tweebs' room. She was making the Tweebs beds before seeing her daughter in such a dark mood. James was following behind her. "Oh, man! I think we need to talk with Kimberly about this!"

The Possible matriarch climbed the stairs to Kim's room behind James.

* * *

Kim ran up to her bed, growling in frustration! She was trying to keep her anger about that evil deb in check. The redhead punched her pillow over and over again

"I.....I should've gotten her when that ... that detonator went off!" she seethed with frustration on her bed.

James came into her room first, "What...what do you mean, Kimmie-cub?"

Kim sighed and took out the earpiece and her Kimmunicator, for it recorded the entire transcript, that she used to communicate Wade with and put it into her Y-Pod charger. All three of them sat on Kim's bed.

"This......Veruca sitch has gotten worse that I thought when I went in the ducts this morning." she explained as she turned her Kimmunicator on the Y-Pod charger to see what Dr. Leon and Veruca were planning to do.

_(Dr. Leon) ".(laughing).....that my brother is nothing but a weak-willed jackass that is simply a coward in disguise! He knew he would NEVER detatch his daughter's inheritance! He is simply all bark and no bite! Besides, I wanted to get my hands on some of her inheritance!!!!_

_(Veruca) "And why is that?"_

_(Dr. Leon) "Well, according to the Leon family will, it stipulates that when the heiress unexpectedly dies or is unable to carry on her traditions of the Leons, all that inhertance money goes to the oldest relative of the family who is not the parents to the heiress!"_

_(Dr. Leon then goes to the gun vault and tosses the revolver to Veruca) "And that's why I want you to kill my niece, Camille Leon......."_

James and Ann were taken by surprise that this mad doctor of an uncle wanting a psycho debutate on the run from the law to kill his niece for inheritance money.

"I'm...I'm stunned by this!" James stammered, "Usually Camille sticks to that brat's side wherever she goes! Why would that deb do this?"

"She must have some sort of grudge or ish that I don't know about, Dad!" Kim explained before continuing the transcript, "And this could get pretty nasty in this next part!"

_(Veruca) , "Hmmmm.....I did enjoy the sight of blood like I did with those idiots in Building 6, maybe Camille's blood spatter from a bullet would attract my instincts a bit more. That former 'friend' of mine was nothing more than a mere puppy whom I can beat over and over again until I want to see its last heartbeat!!!! I wanted to see her to bow to me and she had done so, but now she must pay the ultimate price for her betrayl: a single bullet with her name on it! Dr. Leon, I appreciate for what you did to me with the chemicals, but I am far more in it for the kill rather than the money!"_

_(FF)_

_(Veruca) "It is all adding in! In the middle of the dance, I will take everyone by surprise and hold Camille at gunpoint! Then, on the roof of the Middleton Gym, one gun-shot shall be heard as I kick the dead Camille's body over the edge, thereby giving me the total edge over everyone at Middleton High, once and for all!!!! I shall laugh at the blood spatter of Camille! I shall finally spit upon that Gulf War hero-loser of a principle and make him forget his phony God and Jes......whoever that was......and make him bow to ME!!!!!!! I am a goddess now!!!!!! A Goddess of Worship in which eveyone shall kiss to my feet!!!!!!!!!"_

James and Ann were mortified beyond belief at the wasting away of civilized behavior on just revenge and in such a graphic manner, this desparate attempt by one person to win back fame for such a grisly murder attempt as this.

"My......my God!!!!!!!" Ann covered her mouth in disbelief.

"That...that Veruca!!!" James exclaimed, saying her dreaded name for the first time in his life.

"And that's not all! Here's the most important part of her scheme!" Kim exclaimed before fast-forwarding to the part that she dreaded the most.

They listened in:

_(Veruca) "Oh, and the other part of which you said of your chemicals, Dr. Leon! I think I know which enemy I want to pin Camille's murder on!"_

_(transforms into Kim)_

"This is insanity only driven by that crazy Veruca!" Ann concluded, "Dr. Leon should've never injected her with those chemicals!"

"Dr. Leon did the same thing with Camille when she framed Tara and Caitlin and tried to frame me!" Kim explained the connection to her parents.

James was befuddled, "But, isn't Camille still in prison?"

"Not for tonight," Kim continued with a shake of her head "she was given community service at the Formal to serve drinks. Police would be there guarding her, but I don't think the police would defend against a shapeshifting criminal like Veruca weaing a pistol! I'm going to have to contact Wade for this!"

Kim swiped her Kimmunicator from the Y-Pod stand and brought Wade to the screen.

* * *

"You rang, Kim?" Wade smiled from his array of computers, but he studied Kim's face and knew that panic had settled in.

"Wade, we have a huge sitch with the whole Camille-Veruca thing! She is going to kill Camille when the dance ends and she is going to have my name on the crime! We gotta do something!" Kim explained her ever-increasing dilema.

"I'm in contact with Officer Hobble right now, Kim and ......" Wade analyzed the situation "......got it! I've sent in a request to Officer Hobble for 10 additional police units to protect Camille!"

"Thanks, Wade! Keep me updated!" the teen heroine smiled before Wade affirmed with a nod of his head and disappeared off-screen.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Turning to her parents and putting her Kimmunicator on the nightstand, Kim rubbed her head.

"Mom, what time is Ron going to come back to Middleton?" she asked.

Her mother replied, "Around 4:30. Why?"

"Mmm..... I want to look pretty for him when he returns so that we can set up a time to meet each other before going to the gym for the forum." Kim explained her plan on meeting up her BFBF.

"Well, we can always go to the Middleton Nail Parlor. They do some of the best manicures and pedicures around!" Ann suggested her most favorite place to go whenever she and James have a date together.

"Hmmm... how about at 2:00?" Kim asked a time.

Anne nodded her head in agreement, "Two it is, Kim! I love you!" She kissed her on the forehead.

"And I love you too, Mom!" Kim kissed her back.

James then next hugged his daughter with a smile, "Same here, my Kimmie-cub! I'm sure you and Ronald will look so cute for tonight's Formal....." Then his smile faded away briefly into a stern look "...as long as that evil Veruca doesn't show up!"

"I think I can handle my sitch with Veruca, Dad!" Kim said, crossing her arms in her bed.

"Well, still, I love you, Kimmie-cub, and I will do anything to protect you!" the Possible patriarch replied before giving Kim a kiss on the forehead.

Kim smiled as she began to take an hour nap. Ann and James quietly tiptoed downstairs from her room.

As she continued to sleep, she knew that containing the evil Veruca for a second time will not be easy.

_It's going to take more than just 15 extra policemen to contain Veruca, _she thought to herself in her sleep. _If anyone can weaken her and send her to jail once and for all, it's going to have to be me! But now the life of my former enemy, Camille, is now on the line!!!!! How can I save the life of a former cheerleader who has framed my friends twice for robbery?!?! _

_Yet strangely I felt......sorry for her! Outside, she may be a spoiled brat but on the inside, she's a good girl trapped inside ever since first grade!_

_It's just too much for me! _

_I'm going to HAVE to save Camille from Veruca! _

_But I also wonder what evil plans that Veruca is planning on top of this horrid act on her former 'friend'!  
_


	152. Clothing Ish

Time: 3:30pm

Place: Outside the Salt Mansion

The police were done with their investigation of the house. Officer Hobble was completely out of breath as his men scanned the entire dump for the escaped brat, top to bottom.

Veruca's dogs were growling at the officers as Kim's powder wore away its effects.

"Well, boys, we can't find a trace of Veruca anywhere! I'm going to have to make a statement to the public that I'm going to offer a $10,000 reward for anyone who gives the info on finding where that ..... freak is!!!!!!" Hobble announced to his men.

"But what about the dance? I've just got an order from Team Possible to bring in 10 extra policemen to the formal!" one of the officers wondered, for he got the message from Wade.

"Then I should BRING THE WHOLE DAMNED SQUAD IF I HAVE TO!!!!!!!" Hobble's Brogue exploded over his frustrations and stress before finally calming down. "All right!" he breathed in heavily, "lets send in those 10 extra officers. I want every single eye on that Veruca! I will not rest until she is found!"

His fellow officers nodded their heads and returned to their cop cruisers, one by one.

Before leaving the place, he turned his back on the dilapidated mansion, vowing that Veruca will be within his grasp, sooner or later.

The cop cruises left the mansion behind, unaware that the twisted deb was planning something even more sick than the murder plot of Camille.

* * *

Back inside the secret room, Veruca heard the sounds of the cop cars driving away from her house.

The naked lightbulb in that stripped-down wooden room was penetrating its faint incandescent glow upon her rotton personality, twisted by the chemicals that were injected into her.

"Yes! Those cops are gone!" the evil deb gave her disgusting smile that reeked of rotten fish! "Now, I can continue my plans of gaining my revenge!" She pulled out the hidden brick that she utilized as her means of escape.

She still holstered the revolver in her jeans, which were falling off a little bit because she weighed only 85 pounds. They were a bit too big for her.

The door opened up and Veruca crawled out of her hole back to the hollow that she once called home. Her jeans were now sliding from her hips and made her look like a gangsta rapper. She tried to pull the seat of her jeans up, trying to keep what was left of her dignity.

_Grrr!!! Damn these jeans!!! Wish if I had eaten more, they wouldn't fall off so often! _

She then returned to what once had been the Salt Great Room where servants tended to her every need.

_Hmmm...... so many memories made here! The time where I drowned a kitten in my nearby pond and kicked it around! The time that I spat on my servants and made them eat dirt from my backyard! _Veruca wondered. _Now I need to build up my plans on humiliating all those who dared to oppose me at the Swirlies! _

She looked around the room and spotted the high-def TV that was draped over.

"Hmmm, wonder why those repo losers have not taken my most favorite TV?" Veruca questioned to herself before noticing that the button of her jeans was exposed below the white t-shirt that she wore, indicating that they were sliding off again. It also showed off her exposed belly.

"Grrr!!!! Why do I have to wear these damned jeans?!?!?!?! Why can't I just wear them regularly just like everyone else?!?!?!?!?" Veruca screamed before pulling her jeans up again, but she couldn't help it because of her 85-pound frame. She put the revolver down on the nearby end table, hoping that it would help with her jeans issues.

Veruca sat on the couch, with her jeans exposing her underwear like a member of a rival gang, dusted off the remote and turned on the TV.

_Recalling our top story today: an explosion rocked the old Salt Mansion today, destroying a secret underground lab that was used for radical surgeries called 'shapeshifting surgeries' that allows the user to transform into anyone they wished. Dr. Gervis Jeebs Leon, the head of these operations and a former ASPS board member was arrested on the scene. Police, meanwhile, have failed to find former peanut heiress Veruca Darling Salt, who is still wanted for the attempted murder of a corrections officer. She is considered to be armed and extremely dangerous._

"I'm glad to see me again in the spotlight!!!!" Veruca swooned with glee before another piece of the news caught her attention.

_And in other news ..... local teen heroine celebrity and head cheerleader Kim Possible will be one of the guests of honor at tonight's Winter Formal occuring at Middleton High School. This popular and beautiful young girl who has captured all of our hearts has chosen her boyfriend Ron "Unstoppable" Stoppable, the star tailback of the Middleton Mad Dogs and the hero of the MHSAA Football World Series Championship, to be also a guest of distinguished honor! The mayor of Middleton will also be in attendance tonight......._

She could not take any more of this! It was like a mountain of salt poured into just one wound!

Veruca grabbed the revolver and shot one round into the TV. The TV exploded in a shower of sparks!

The deb growled but then remembered that she still had to keep her dignity intact and not let her anger issues get the best of her. But when she heard the word 'boyfriend' on her TV before she let her destructive impulses get the best of her, Veruca tapped her head, indicating that she had an idea.

"Mmmm....maybe if I can humilate Kim in front of her boyfriend, it would be utterly perfect!!!"  
she exclaimed out loud, knowin that no one else was in the house. "I could make out with Ron in front of Kim's presence! I would do a French-Kiss with that Stoppable boy with our tongues crossing for the next 5 minutes! It would be a night I would never forget!!!!! She would be too traumatized by two events happening at once on that stupid gym roof: the murder of Camille and the betrayl of her boyfriend!!! It is going to be priceless!!!!!!"

However, there was one problem with this shocking new development in her evil plan: timing. But she solved it quickly.

"Hmmm.... I think I should 'kiss' her boyfriend BEFORE I shoot that damn Camille in the head! That way, Miss I-Can-Do-Anything will be so overwhelmed and distracted with the shock her BF's betrayl that I would murder Camille!!!!!"

Thinking ahead of her developments, Veruca prepared to retire for the rest of the afternoon. She stood up from the recliner, unaware that she still had weight issues with her clothing.

She walked to once had been her grand staircase before it has been stripped down into wood and as she did so, her too-big baggy jeans got lower and lower, revealing her undies. The time and effort being put forth into walking up a flight of stairs sank her jeans to her legs. Despite the fact that she was wearing a belt, it too was big because it was her father's belt.

When she reached midway to the staircase, her jeans completely fell to her feet.

______________________________________________________________________________

"I, like, HATE these jeans!!!!!!!!!!!" Veruca screamed out loud before walking up the remainder of the stairs, now being humiliated by the issues of her weight on her clothing.

She immediately removed what remained of her jeans and tossed them over the railing. "Good riddance to that!!" Then, turning to her room in front of her, she needed an article of clothing that could look perfect for her size. "I don't want to appear at the Formal half-naked with my shirt and undies!"

Veruca shuddered at that thought before realizing that there was one article of clothing in her arsenal that would be suitable for her and that it would not fall off every 2 minutes.

"I'm going to have to wear a pair of overalls to the Formal! They won't fall off as often as my pairs of jeans, and I know it would be perfect to wear this clothing to execute my plans!"

As quick as she thought of it, Veruca went to her room and then to one of her closets.

There, she scanned her entire closet for a pair of overalls and finally managed to spot one pair lying on the floor.

"Hmmm.....maybe these would do!" the pants-less Veruca replied. She walked on over and picked up the overalls and studied them very closely.

They were the usual long, dark, denim-blue bib overalls that she once wore to a Western-redneck/hillbilly-themed pep rally in her junior year. It had the usual two buckles attached with three side buttons and some pockets. The overalls also happened to have belt loops which could be worn with the bib down like the fad that was once popular in the 1990s. Both of the buckles were still unhooked.

Now, though, they would become an important instrument in Veruca's evil plans.

Veruca wondered if these year-old overalls still fit her. So she gave it a test run.

* * *

The deb put her left leg in the overalls and then her right. She then stood up, tucked her t-shirt in, and pulled the bib of the overalls up to her chest.

Veruca took the left overalls strap and hooked it to the button and did likewise with the right.

__________________________________________________________________________________

After trying out her overalls for the first time in a year, she walked on over to a nearby mirror to observe her new appearance.

She looked at herself in the mirror and observed her overalls.

"Hmmm, these overalls are a perfect fit for me, but still, how am I going to tempt that Stoppable to come a bit closer so that I can make out with him and humiliate Mrs I-Can-Do-Anything in the process?" She pondered on this thought before snapping her fingers. "Duh!!!! I am the Princess of Slutiness!! I can do better than this! First of all, however, I need to find a belt!"

She scanned the closet room to find a belt for her overalls, unlike her dad's belt with her jeans, and she must find the right belt size for her skinny body.

Luck again was on Veruca's side, for on the floor, she spotted a belt that was just right for her 85-pound frame.

She chucked evily, "I just love it when I'm so sexy and lucky!"

Veruca picked up the belt and threaded it through the belt loops of the overalls. She attached the metal buckle of her belt and threaded the leader through the additional belt loops.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Now that the belt was securely in place and her clothing issues resolved for the moment, the next thing that she had to do was to play around with her overalls. The reasoning behind this odd maneuver was to lull Ron into a sense of temptation.

"Mmmm...... wearing both overall straps up doesn't seem to be either tempting or slut-like for me to tempt Ron, so I'm going to have to do......." She took her left hand and unbuckled the right strap of the overalls. ".....this!"

The right side of the overalls bib curled in front of her. Veruca took the right strap and swung it to her back. The right strap was dangling in the back.

"Oooohhhh, so sexy and so slutty!!!" Veruca exclaimed at the new look that made her look like a no-good punk tomboy with one overalls strap on and one overalls strap off. She loved the look of reviving an old fad that seem to be faded away long ago.

"But.....on the other hand, I would so totally look like a slut if I had..........." Veruca smirked before noticing the other hooked strap to her left side. She took her finger and snapped off the other strap. ".........both straps off!!!"

The overalls bib fell in front of her. Veruca threw the other strap over her shoulder. Now, both straps were being unhooked. She exposed her belly and felt a great sense of excitement at the same time.

The clanging of the little metal of the hooks in the back gave her pleasure and satisfaction. She had achieved the perfect temptation against Ron.

She now looked like what James Possible had feared the most: a common slut.

Common sense would dictate that her overalls would had fallen off her waist. if not for the belt holding the unhooked overalls up .

Veruca smiled at the result of the unhooking of her overalls. "Perfect!!!! I am so ready for my plans to screw Stoppable's life up and in ending Camille's life!!!!"

She ran from the closet with the unhooked overalls straps dangling from her back, the overalls bib flapping in front of her.

Veruca loved to look like such a ...... tomboy in doing this..... a murderous tomboy.

The deb ran down the bare staircase and plopped down on the couch, the overalls bib curling on the leather of the couch. The unhooked overalls straps curled to the floor.

Only the belt kept her overalls from meeting the same fate as her large jeans.

She began a deep sleep.

* * *

Veruca dreamed of screwing up Ron's life forever in these same clothes, these same unhooked overalls held by a belt and low-cut T-shirt, on the roof of the Middleton Gym. He would be French-Kissed everywhere on his face and Kim would be shocked and crying over the loss and betrayl of her boyfriend and while the teen heroine closed her eyes in tears, the deb would transform into Kim, fingerprints and all, shoot Camille dead with the revolver and kick her off the roof onto the ground below while pinning all the blame on Kim.

She thought it was a perfect plan, unlike the Swirlies, to humiliate and get rid of Kim once and for all.


	153. Ron's Return

Time: 4:50pm (3 hours before the Formal)

Place: heading towards Middleton High

After getting their nails done at the Middleton Nail Parlor, both Ann and Kim headed toward to Middleton High to meet up with Ron.

Kim's nails were done with a hot pink color.

"I can't wait to show Ron my sexy nails!" the redhead exclaimed. She was in the front seat of the car listening to the radio.

"I'm sure he'll like them!" Ann laughed while driving the car.

"The manicure people said that it is the best shade of pink that they can find!" Kim said, "It also lasts for the next 10 hours, and my dress is all ready for the Formal and .........!"

Then the redhead paused for a moment.

"What, Kimberly?" Ann asked with concern.

Kim's smile disappeared, "How am I going to explain to Ron what Veruca is planning to do at the dance?"

"Ummmm......" Ann struggled to answer, "I think we should pick up Rufus at his house first. It would be better if he would see Ronald again!"

"Good idea, Mom!" Kim agreed before the two made a quick pit stop over at the Stoppable household.

* * *

Rufus peered his head through the afternoon cold, catching sight of the Possibles' vehicle. He squealed with wild excitement.

Ann pulled up in the driveway and rolled down the window.

"Rufus!!!" Kim's excitement returned to her.

"Kim!!!!!!" Rufus squeaked as he dashed from the front porch of the house across the yard to the car.

Rufus put his warm head into Kim's embrace and cudded in her lap.

Looking down with her head, Kim asked the mole rat, "So how do you like my fab hot pink nails?"

Rufus lifted his head and nodded in agreement, giving his thumbs-up.

"Spankin', Rufus!" Kim smiled before her mom pulled out of the driveway. "You ready to see Ron?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" he squeaked. As if he was anticipating a trip to Bueno Nacho, he rubbed his hands with glee for dinner. "Mmmmm, Nacoes!!!!!!!" and pointed to Kim and a picture of Ron that he always carries with him.

Kim just sighed and chuckled, "Nope, Rufus, not for right now. Me and Ron have a date to go to tonight for the formal."

Rufus groaned at his friend's reason why of not going to Bueno Nacho and gave her the feared "Puppy-Dog Pout".

"Oh, no! Not the Puppy Dog Pout!" Kim gave a long groan of frustration over the smallest member of Team Possible using her trademarked pout. She caved in to Rufus' demands. "Okay, Rufus! You can come with the both of us to the Formal and we can go to Bueno Nacho afterwards!"

"Yay!!!!!" Rufus cheered with excitement.

"I so hate it when people use my PDP!!!" Kim sighed, folding her arms against the passenger door on the way to the school.

* * *

Time: 5:00pm

Place: Middleton High

The four school buses rolled out of the parking lot, leaving the Middleton Mad Dog football players behind. One by one, they either drove away in their own vehicles or their parents came to pick them up.

Ron was the last to climb down from the steps from the lead bus.

He walked down to the awning of the gym, where he had made many happy memories before it was cut short by Veruca's ruling of removing both his banana cream foam and the barking noises he contribed.

"Wow, everyone must be gone in a hurry!" he exclaimed with the Nacoes in hand, "I wonder why ..... ?" Then he slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand "Of course!!!!!! The Formal!!!!! I almost forgot about it!!!!!"

Ron immediately called up his dad from his cell phone.

_R: Hey, Dad! _

_David: Hello, son!_

_R: Can you.... uhhhh..... pick me up?_

_David: I can't right now, Ronald! I'm having (trying to start station wagon up but engine backfires and a tire pops flat) car trouble! And I'm late for my annual actuary conference!_

_R: Awww man!!!!_

_David: Can you see if Kimberly can pick you up and drop you off at your house? You only have a solid three hours left before the formal begins!!!_

_R: I know, Dad, but I don't have a tux yet and .... are they closed yet?_

_David: Ummm, nope. In fact, on your way home, you can ask Kim to go past Middleton Tuxes in downtown._

_R: Coolio idea, Dad!!!!_

_David: Uh, yeah. Anyways, I'll see you in 15._

_R: See ya then, Dad. Bye._

He then began to panic a little bit, "How am I going to tell KP?!?!?! I can't even think of a plan for tonight or ...... a backup plan either!!!!!!!!"

To answer his question, Ron heard a familiar voice calling out from an approaching car.

"Ron! I'm so glad to see you!" Kim called out, rolling down the window. Ann approached the curb as close as she could.

"KP!!!!!!" Ron turned his head around and spotted his BFGF. He rushed up to Kim and kissed her squarely on the lips.

* * *

After that display of affection, Ron climbed aboard the car in the back seat. Kim also went into the back seat with her BFBF. The two gazed into each others' eyes as they began to see the December sun setting in the west. Rufus jumped into the back seat into the arms of his owner.

Ann pulled the car out of the parking lot. She tilted her rear-view mirror and smiled at the backseat couple.

"Rufus!!!!" Ron laughed excitedly over seeing his naked mole rat. The two Bueno Nacho partners rubbed their cheeks.

"Hey, Ron!" Rufus squeaked before pulling out a little sombrero.

"Ohhhhhh, you want to go to Bueno Nacho with the Ron-man?" Ron deducted his pet's motions.

"After dance!" Rufus replied before crawling on over to Kim's side.

Kim interrupted in with a grin, "That's right, Ron! Rufus and I agreed for all the three of us to go to Bueno Nacho after the dance."

"Sounds great to me, KP!" Ron agreed, "but don't you think it would be ... like, 11:30 by the time the dance ends?"

"The dance ends at midnight, Ron!" Kim said, "so if we need to plan something for the dance, now would be the perfect time to plan it out!"

Ron scratched his head, "Umm........ummm.....umm...how 'but 6:30?"

Kim's eyes lightened up, "Six-thirty sounds fine to me, Ron!"

"Umm.....we can have a little fancy dinner at......" Ron was trying to make out the name of the restaurant but couldn't think of it.

"......Chez Middleton?" Kim answered the name of the fancy French restaurant and the nicest restaurant in town.

"That's it!!!!!!" Ron snapped his finger, but then he gave a disappointing sigh, "but how can I get there? My dad is having a little car trouble problemo.

"Hmmm......." Kim tapped her head, "what about your mom?"

"I guess my mom can take me to the tux shop before it closes and get ready for the dance, KP!"

Anne intervened in the conversation between the two, "Then it's settled, Kimberly! I think I should take you two to the dance because .... of course ..... protection reasons. And speaking of protection ...... " She nudged her head to the rear-view window to the couple.

"Oh, right, Veruca!!!!" Kim exclaimed, almost forgetting the other obstacle to the romance between Team Possible.

"What? What happened, KP???" Ron asked with a grave concern. "Why Veruca?"

"She's....." Kim took a deep breath before letting it out, "she escaped from jail!"

"Well, I know that, KP! A couple of the football players told me!" Ron responded unsurprisingly.

"Well, Ron, here's the sitch that you ... probably didn't know about!...........She now has superpowers!"

This caught Ron completely"Whoa, whoa, whoa!!!!!!! You're telling me, KP, that Veruca, the same Veruca who has ruined the Middleton Mad Dog's good name by stomping on my mascot head and breaking it and sprayed all my hard-earned banana foam down the school toilet, has gone all freaky with the superpowers?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Kim nodded her head. "I went over to Veruca's house for a mission. She's planning to kill Camille in cold blooded horror!!!!"

Ron became mortified "My....Oh my God!!!! But Camille's still in jail, right, KP?"

"Not tonight, Ron. Camille's going to do the concessions. Even worse is that, now that she is armed with the same shapeshifting powers as Camille, Veruca is going to blame this ... heinous crime on me!!!!" Kim's positive feelings faded away when she told this news to Ron. Rufus, upon imagining the sight of Kim being cuffed away for a crime she didn't commit, fainted on sight. His little sombrero fell to the car floor.

"Rufus? Rufus!!!!!" Ron worriedly yelled before Rufus regained consciousness.

"Uhhh....nacoes!!!" the mole rat shook his head before returning to normal. He slowly crawled back to Ron's side.

Ann pulled up to the Stoppable's driveway where Cecilia waited for her son to return. The matriarch of the Stoppable family just simply watched the setting early-December sun as she shivered a bit in the cold.

The doctor was thinking of a plan to corner Veruca somehow, "Hmmm......Kimberly told me that there are a total of 15 officers going to be attending the dance. How about if Rufus can tag along as an extra layer of defense, Kimberly?"

The words by Anne gave Ron a great idea, "That's a great idea, .P!!!!! Rufus could sniff out any weird superpowers that comes close to his nose!"

"That is, if Rufus doesn't get too close to the food!" Kim laughed briefly before Ron opened up the car door. Ron and Rufus chortled at Kim's reaction as they left Kim, but deep down inside, he knew that he could never go back on his BFGF's promise.

"I'll see you at 6:30, Ron!" Kim whispered in Ron's ear. "I promise that I'll look so spankin'!"

"I'll see you then, KP!" Ron replied before the two gave a momentary kiss on the lips.

Ron and Rufus briefly waved to Kim and Kim waved back as the Possibles' car left the driveway, knowing that all three would have to include their final showdown against Veruca Salt, the deb that has completely lost touch with sanity, once and for all.

* * *

Yet, Team Possible has not realized the full and sick extent of Veruca's plan.

While Veruca lay sleeping with her twisted dreams in mind, she was formulating the bloody demise of Camille and the scarring of Kim by making out with Ron.

But she wanted to add the murder of another cheerleader into her sick and twisted plot to ruin Kim's life once and for all.


	154. Adding Another Blondie

Time: 6:00pm (2 hours before the Formal)  
Place: Salt Mansion

After a two and a half hour sleep, Veruca stirred awake from the couch. She groaned after dreaming that wonderful dream, from her twisted point of view, of Kim crying in her jail cell, playing her harmonica while the guards served her awful and disgusting gruel at Parchman . She envisioned her, being kicked, beaten and thoroughly defeated, crying incessantly.

She looked around her surroundings. The cold air was seeing in through the shattered windows of the shell that was her mansion.

Veruca shivered with a rage deep inside, "It's cold in here!!! Where were my butlers and maids when I needed them!! Well, never mind!!!! They're out of a job, my parents are in jail and I'm all alone!!!"

Then the deb looked down, for she was still wearing her unbuckled overalls that she wore as pants. "If I want to come back on top of Middleton High once and for all, lock lips with that Naco loser, send Kim to federal prison, and kill Camille, my overalls are going to be the key for me to make it all happen."

She then spotted the revolver that she left behind. Veruca stood up and took the gun off the end table. The silver of the gun gave her another thought to her sick mind.

"Hmmm.....killing Camille is not....attention-getting enough! I think I need to up my ante a bit! Maybe kill another well-known cheerleader to gain even more attention all for me!!! Only question is ..... who????"

She then walked upstairs with the undone overall buckles clinking behind her, the downed bib continuing to flap in front of her.

* * *

The deb arrived in her room and went to one of the few possessions not touched by the repo men: a large picture of all the cheerleaders taken for the year. The cold winds were blowing hard against the torn

Veruca scanned the photo and looked at herself on the top as it said "Veruca Salt, captain".

"I loved it!!! I was so on the top...." she smirked before scanning her eyes to Kim, whom was sitting in the second row. She gave an angry look at the photo of Kim. "...until Mrs. I-Can-Do-Anything ruined everything! If I want to make sure that she remains behind bars for a long time to come, I would have to murder _another _ cheerleader besides that piece of dirt, Camille. I think I'll select......."

She then pointed her cold lifeless finger at the image of Tara.

"Tara is PERFECT for me as my next victim but in order to do it, I must murder her, still in my Kim guise, in such a graphic fashion AFTER I dispose of Camille's dead body! I will not only shoot that so-called 'angelic cheerleader' in her forehead, but also, since there are the rose bushes behind the gym, I would kick her body over the edge until the lifeness is gone from her blue eyes. The prickers on the rose bushes will finish the job for me!!! Ooohhh, I just love the thrill of murdering cheerleaders that dare to oppose me, ME, the great and perfect Veruca Salt!!!!"

With her mind fixated on a deceased Tara, being pierced on all sides by the crown of thorns from the rose bushes and with her own bloodstains on the dew of the Middleton High grass, Veruca smiled with an evil glee on her face.

Veruca swung the straps of her unbuckled overalls round and round, still thinking that with the addition of another murdered cheerleader, she could put Kim away for the remainder of her life in Parchman, or even worse ... death row!

* * *

Time: 6:45pm (75 minutes before the dance)  
Place: Tara Queen's house

Emily and Bobby Queen waited in anticipation for their daughter to come down from the stairs.

"I can't wait for my little angel to look so pretty and cute for tonight, Bobby!" Emily exclaimed with excitement.

"I heard that she went to the beauty salon today and had her nails done with Hope, Marcella, and Jessica and she had them done in a pretty shade of pink!" Bobby whispered in his spouse's ear before they heard the clicking of the heels coming from the wooden floor upstairs.

There, the two parents took one good look at their daughter and were caught awestruck by her sheer beauty.

Tara was wearing a blue strapless prom dress that would glisten in the moonlight. Her normal wavy blonde hair was tied back with a beautiful pink ribbon bow. She also wore the finest perfume that Club Banana had to offer that cost around $700. She also sported a diamond necklace that , sexy diamond earrings and a diamond bracelet. Combined, they cost around $4,000 but she knew that every cent of it would pay off for tonight. To top it all off, she wore black $500 four inch-high high heels

Tara was also putting on her shade of rose red lipstick as she slowly came down the stairs..

"How do I look, Mom?" the blonde angel asked.

Emily took one look at her daughter and simply gave a gasp of "wow". She was taken away by her only daughter's sheer beauty. "You're so beautiful, my little angel!"

Tara just chuckled, "Thanks, Mom! I really liked this dress from the shop and these colorful diamond earring from CB! They are just so fab!!!"

"You look absolutely beautiful, Tara!" her father commented, "Reminded me of your mother when we first met!"

"Thanks, Dad, I----" Tara opened her mouth then gasped at the time. "It's 6:45! I don't wanna be late!"

"Late for what?" Bobby asked, "The Formal isn't for another hour."

"Well, it just so happens that I talked to Marcella and Hope. Hope's parents, which have both of my friends, are going to pick me up in five minutes and we're planning to eat out at Chez Middleton!" Tara explained to her parents.

"So you don't have a date?" Emily asked confusingly.

"Nope," Tara affirmed her statement. "I just like to dance with most of the guys, not just one for the entire dance."

"Well, if that's what my Tara wants........" Bobby smiled before he heard a knock on the door.

"That must be Marcella and Hope! I gotta go for now, Mom and Dad!" Tara exclaimed in a hurry before kissing both of her parents on the cheek.

Marcella and Hope arrived at the door and the both of them looked extremely beautiful tonight.

"Hey, Tara and Mrs. Queen!" Marcella exclaimed.

Hope added in, "And good evening, Mr. Queen!"

"Good evening, Marcella and Hope!" Emily smiled with a welcome, then turned her head to her daughter as the three fellow Mad Dog cheerleaders and longtime friends left the house.

"Remember, Tara, dear, be back no later than midnight because we have church tomorrow!" Emily called back to her daughter.

"Okay, Mom! I'll be back by then!" Tara echoed back.

"And of course, my Angel!" Bobby yelled, signifying the protective and Christian care that he had for his daughter, "no alcohol, drugs, or you-know-what!"

Tara blushed red at her cute cheeks, "I know, Dad!" she exclaimed, "I know how to take care of my body!"

She blew a goodbye kiss at her parents as the three cheerleaders left.

As Tara sat in the backseat while Hope's parents were driving, she was thinking on only one thing: having the time of her life at the Formal.

Little did she realize that she was already sucked into Veruca's last-effort plot, threatening to kill her in a manner that was seen as inhuman.

* * *

Time: 7:00pm

Place: Salt Mansion

Back at the dilapidated Salt mansion, Veruca paced back and forth with her still-undone overalls on the first floor. She was still thinking of the explosion earlier in the day and how it may affect her plans.

"Hmmm......that explosion that happened in Dr. Leon's lab today was quite powerful! Whoever planted that device must've really wanted to screw with my plans! As a precaution, I think I should test out my three powers of shapeshifting, invisibility, and teleportation." Veruca said in front of the mirror.

"First off, the shapeshifting!" the deb exclaimed before experimenting with the primary feature of her surgery to see if it was affected by the blast. She momentarily transformed into a perfect version of Tara, from head to toe, and found out that the shapeshifting aspect was not negated.

Veruca then transformed herself back to normal. "That's one aspect working, next is the invisibility." She then turned herself invisible to make sure it worked and it did. The invisibility worked extremely well and was not affected by the explosion either.

Finally, she attempted to teleport herself from the first floor to the second floor.

"Let's see if this works!"

She tried to teleport and allow the blue aura to swallow her.

And............ nothing.

Veruca failed to teleport from the first floor to the second floor.

"Grrr.....what is this?!?!?!?!?! Why am I not on the second floor ?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Little did Veruca know that while Kim's detonator went off, Wade also put in an anti-teleportation aura in the device, knowing that the monster would be in the lab with that surgery in the hopes of preventing that monster from escaping the Salt mansion.

And, from the looks of the deb's angry face, the computer wiz did quite a good job in caging Veruca like a chained animal.

But as if luck were on Veruca's side, she also had her sneaky tendencies so if one power was not working at all, the other two would compensate for each other.

"Hmmm..... I don't think I need the teleportation. The invisibility and shapeshifting powers are all I need to end Camille and Tara's lives once and for all! Now what time shall I do these acts? Hmmm.........maybe........... 9:00. I can arrive at the school at 8:45 and keep a very low profile. Then, I shall transform into Kim, take this stupid school by surprise, hold Tara and Camille at gunpoint and take them to the roof! Then I shall finally end their stupid misreable lives on the roof as they meet their bloody demise! In the meantime, I need to find some live ammo, and knowing the fact that my dad needed to protect my family, he should have some!"

She went to find the ammuniton room where her dad kept the pistols, revolvers, and live ammunition. Veruca scanned for any false bricks in the Salt's great room and pressed one that activated a swiveling door that led to the ammuniton room. It was not affected at all by the police raids earlier in the day.

Henry Salt's collection of 10 handguns and seven revolvers amazed her.

Veruca dropped her jaw in excitement over these guns.

"This is quite impressive for Daddy to collect these guns! Now all I need to do is find some .44 Magnum slugs to bury into the empty skulls of Camille and Tara once and for all!"

And in an instant, she spotted the .44 Magnum rounds.

"Jackpot!!!!!" Veruca exclaimed before scratching her chin, "Hmmm, how many should I take though? I think I'll just take.....six more bullets with me!" She gathered six bullets of .44 Magnum ammo and placed it in one of the overalls side pockets.

After leaving the ammo room, Veruca sat back down on the couch, and picked back up the revovler and put one round into the empty chamber.

But then she noticed that her overalls were still undone, "Though, it would not be sneaky if I had my overalls straps unhooked BEFORE I make out with Ron. Hmmm..... better put them back on."

She stood up, pulled the bib up to her chest and hooked the left strap back up and did the same with the right side.

"Now I have everything!!!!!" the deb smirked in complete and utter triumph, "The only thing that I need now ..... is patience!"

Veruca then began to count down the minutes to Camille and Tara's doom, unaware that there were still forces out there willing to ruin her plans.


	155. Underlying Factors

Time: 2:30pm

Place: London Tipton's house

London did not enjoy a Saturday afternoon rest after cheering the Mad Dogs to the series-winning victory in Game 7.

She still had the disturbing image of an escaped Veruca armed with that pistol, firing a single shot from the chamber, following with a white flash.

The Tipton hotel heiress jetted out of of bed, wide awake with a loud scream. She was sweating profusely and drew heavy breaths from her dry throat.

One of her servants rushed up to London's room upstairs and came to her aid.

"What is it, Miss Tipton? Anything wrong?"

London gave a deep sigh, and replied "Yes, servant, I just ..... I just need something to drink!"

"What shall you like, Miss Tipton? I shall make it to your liking!" the servant asked.

"Just a simple glass of apple juice will do," London sighed. The servant gave a simple bow and left the room.

All London could do was to stare at the photo of herself and Camille from when they were in third grade. She sniffled sadly as she put the photo away in the drawer.

"Damn, I wish if I can repair my friendship with Camille! I wish if I had not acted like an....idiot toward her when those cheering elections took place! If there was some way I can repair my friendship with her .... anything, I would take it! We have been through so much, away from Veruca's prying eyes! But in the last few weeks, Camille has been under Veruca's influence too much and has ignored me! I hope that there is some goodness still inside her!"

Then her servant came rushing in, interrupting her train of thought.

"Miss Tipton! Miss Tipton!!!" the servant exclaimed with a frightened look.

"What is it, servant?" she asked, thinking it was stange to see her servant acting like a complete buffoon.

"The news, Miss Tipton!" the servant exlaimed, turning on the high-def television.

_And Veruca Salt still remains at large after the arrest of Dr. Gervis Jeebs Leon._

(TV screen shows Veruca holding a gun to Dr. Leon's head)

The police tried to find her but she is nowhere to be found in the Salt Mansion!

(police trying to find Veruca in the Salt Mansion, but could not find her)  


_We were also able to gain access to Dr. Leon from the Middleton Jail for an exclusive interview._

Reporter: And you said that these chemicals can grant anyone shapeshifting abilities?

Dr. Leon: (handcuffs rattling) Shapeshifting, invisibility, and teleportation.

_Reporter: Why did you have to give Veruca the revolver to assassinate your own niece, the cat food heiress Camille Leon, for her money?_

Dr. Leon: Because I thought that she would be so perfect and cold-hearted to do it! She even described the future murder in graphic detail, of how she was going to kick her off the roof and how she wanted to see the sight of blood!!! I should've known better! I wish if I hadn't acted so greedy!!!! (sobs loudly) 

_Reporter: And Veruca wants to kill Camille Leon for ..... ?_

Dr. Leon: (sobbing) Because she is a cold-hearted (bleep). She's going to the Winter Formal at the Middleton High Gym tonight!!! She (inbetween sobs) she must be stopped!"

London turned off the TV in complete horror.

"My.....my God!!! Camille is going to get killed by that manic! Does everyone know about this?"

"Everyone," the servant replied, "except for your new friend, Bonnie. I tried calling her up on the Rockwaller home phone and she wasn't there!"

"Oh man, she told me last night that a tree service was coming to her house this afternoon and to cut down that branch that keeps on messing up her phone lines. So, I'm going to warn her the old fashion way: writing a text message!" London declared and took out her BlueBerry and typed up in urgency:

To my friend Bonnie

Veruca is going to kill Camille tonight at the Formal at the Gym!!!! Please be extremely careful out there!!!!!

Hugs n' Kisses

London.

She hoped that Bonnie got the message soon and prayed for her safety.


	156. Jubon

Time: 10:30am

Place: Rockwaller household

Bonnie stretched her sexy body as she woke up from her restful sleep. The Saturday morning sky greeted her with grey cloudy skies all across the horizon. Birds were still chirping but it was bitterly cold throughout Middleton.

"Ughhh!" Bonnie grunted as she looked at the depressing skies, "I am so sick and tired of this cloudy and icky weather! I wish if it were sunny again!"

Then her mom, Wanda, came in. She was wearing her bedrobe over her pajamas and had a cup of hot chocolate in her hand.

"Don't worry, dear, the skies will clear up soon for tonight's dance." Mrs. Rockwaller replied with a smile that could warm a fireplace.

"I sure do hope so, Mom." Bonnie replied, staring out into the skies colored in shades of grey, "I do only hope."

"Well, come down to breakfast, dear. I made strawberry pancakes for you!" Wanda whistled.

At the hearing of the word strawberry, she rushed downstairs to the kitchen where Wanda fixed up some of her famous pancakes, filled with syrup all over it.

After enjoying and finishing up her pancakes, Bonnie heard the phone ring.

"Mom, can you see who it is?" the sexy and tanned beauty asked.

Wanda looked at the caller ID and it said: Junior, Senor Senior. "It's Junior, dear!"

Bonnie frantically stood up and rushed to pick up the phone, which was a landline variety.

She replied on the phone, "Hello, my hottie!!!! Wanna plan something today?"

All she got was the garbled voice of Junior, ".....my love......I am of ....... happeying....."

The sexy cheerleader wore a confused look, "Uh, Mom, why is the phone messed up?" Then, as if to answer her own question, Bonnie stared out at the kitchen window and saw a giant oak tree in her backyard. Some of the broken limbs affected from the storms were touching the telephone wires, thereby messing up the means of communication on landlines. Three days ago, some of the broken touched the wires that connected the Rockwaller household and ever since then, the landline telephones

"Oh that stupid oak tree! It has interfered with phone calls in the last three days" she exclaimed, "Did you call up a tree service

"Mmm... I'm going to try to call them on my cell." Wanda replied, then suggested "Why don't you call Junior from your cell?"

"Hmm..... I was just thinking that as well. I'll get dressed and take a walk. That way, I wouldn't have my calls being all scrambled up and whatever."

After 20 minutes of getting dressed, Bonnie went outside where she took out her cell phone and began to text Junior. Junior replied with the following message.

_"I thinks we should be of the goeying to the Middleton Cafe at noon. There, we shall be the enjoying of an expensive lunch and where we shall become boyfriend and girlfriend. One and inseperable._

_Love, SSJ!"_

* * *

Bonnie broke in with a smile. She was caught by surprise at this proposal. It meant that Junior really loved the sexy cheerleader because the two often got closer to each other. She went back to the house and changed clothes into some sexy jeans and high heels. She drove her white convertible to the Middleton Cafe where Junior waited in anticipation for his significant other.

Time: 12:10pm

Place: Middleton Cafe

Bonnie looked deep into the sexy eyes of Senor Senior Junior. And Junior did the same for the perfect, tanned-skinned cheerleader.

They were finishing their lunch together at the upscale, the most expensive lunch that she ever consumed. It cost around $40 for the both of them.

"It was so much of the wonderfuling that you have of the freeing of time." Junior positively said in a sexy voice.

"Yeah, the tree service is cutting down the branches of that stupid oak tree because it keeps on messing up the telephone convos!" Bonnie explained her tree problem.

"Well, you don't have to be of the worreying, my Sexy Goddess, because I am of the always of being with you!!" Junior replied with words of comfort. He then whispered, "I love you!"

"Awwww.....that's so sweet, my hottie! And I love you as well!" Bonnie gasped in a sweet voice.

The two came in close contact with each other, then began to kiss each other passionately. The sweet sexy lips of Bonnie met with Junior's lips and it felt good to have that strong kiss that solidified their perfect boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.

But the peace of their kiss was interrupted with a sudden boom coming from the western direction. The Middleton Cafe was no more than a half-mile away from the snobbery subdivision where the Salt Mansion once resided.

"What was of the thateying?" Junior asked his perfect girlfriend.

"I think it...it came from that direction!" Bonnie deducted, pointing towards the direction of the west.

Then, from right behind her, the news broke in with the report of the dreaded news that just happened: Veruca Salt was sighted at the ruined hidden lab, holding a revolver to Dr. Leon's head before sparing her.

"Oh my.....oh my God!!!" Bonnie gasped in wide-eyed horror.

"Is that of the Veruca Salt?" Junior asked with confusion.

"It is, my hottie, but it seems that she has become an ... animal!" the sexy cheerleader stuttered before pointing her image.

"Do not be of the fearing, my love, I, Senior Senior Junior, will be protecteying you from this vile Veruca!" Junior exclaimed with a sense of determination in his eyes.

"Awww, thanks, hottie!" Bonnie replied with a smile.

The two concluded their lunch with a good-bye hug and kiss.

"I shall be of the comeying to your house at 7:45!" Junior echoed.

The sexy Bonnie replied with a wink of her eye "I'll be ready, my Junior!" She left in her white convertible back to her house.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time: 5:30pm

Place: Rockwaller household.

Bonnie rested on the couch, a few hours ready before the Formal, a few hours away from being with her Junior when she heard a buzzing from her cell phone, indicating that she had one message: that from her new friend London Tipton. She opened it up.

What she found came as a complete personal shock to her: Veruca is going to assassinate Camille tonight!

_Oh no! I wanted to be friends with Camille ever since that idiot Veruca took her friendship away from me and tore it to pieces in the first grade! This could be her only chance to redeem herself of the former life that she had! I know that there is still some good inside of her! _

"My.....my God!!!! She's a monster!!!" Bonnie crawled to the edge of her couch. She turned on the news just as when the reporter was interviewing Dr. Leon. The sexy brunette was beyond offended with the graphic manner of how Veruca's murderous plans against Camille would be carried out.

_I need to stop Veruca from carrying her plan out successfully, but how? Since K is the one who has all those gadgets, maybe she can help out as well. If we can work together, I know that we can save Camille's life and put Veruca away from good!_

She thought carefully of a plan to counter Veruca's scheme as she stood up and got ready to go to the Formal.

* * *

Time: 7:45pm

Bonnie prepared to finalize her touches to go to the Formal. She put on the final puffs of fragrance on her, left her room, and walked down the stairs slowly. She was wearing a black dress with a red sash on it. Her face shone like the heavens surrounding her. With beautiful diamond earrings, she would glisten in the moonlight. Her nails were painted in the hottest shade of pink that the Middleton Nail Salon could offer. To top off her perfect outfit for tonight's occasion, she wore black and silver high heels about 3 inches tall.

Wanda opened her mouth in amazement, "My Bon-Bon, you look so .... beautiful!" she exclaimed.

Welcoming in one of the very few times that her mother said her nickname, she adored the reception "Thanks, Mom!" Then the doorbell rang a few seconds later.

It was Junior, all dressed up in his tuxedo. He had his red Ferrari outside.

Bonnie was enthralled by this, "Oh, thank you, my hottie!" she exclaimed, grabbing her fur coat.

"You are of the welcomeying, my love! Ready to dance?" Junior asked in a polite and gentleman-like manner.

"Be back by 12:30!" Wanda cried out as her daughter exited the front door of the house.

"Do not be of the worrying, Mrs. Bonnie, my love will be returneying to your arms." Junior confidently replied.

This warmed her heart as the perfect girlfriend/boyfriend couple left and zoomed out with Junior's red Ferrari, waiting to enjoy their night together.

Junior rested his strong muscular arm around Bonnie and she welcomed it. She then pulled out her cell and texted Kim the following:

_I have a plan, K, to bring down Veruca once and for all!_

Love

_Bonnie._

The Formal would be a night to remember for the couple of destiny.


	157. Two Fates Intertwine

Time: 6:20pm

Place: Possible household.

Kim stared out the window of her room. The clouds that have been present ever since Thursday finally broke away. The starry sky finally made its presence known with its ever twinkling sparkle. And the moon finally shone through the broken-up clouds, its moonbeams reflecting through the window and into her emerald eyes. It then reflected upon her sparkling blue dress and her diamond hairpiece holding down her fiery red hair.

She was looking for her diamond earrings when Ann approached the room.

"Mom? Have you found my earrings? I really NEED them to impress Ron!" Kim exclaimed in a panic, searching through her drawers.

Anne just simply laughed, "Don't worry, Kimberly. They're right here!" She loosened the grip on her hands to reveal to Kim the beautiful $300 blue diamond earrings. It took the majority of the teen superheroine's babysitting money but it was worth every single penny.

"Aww.......thanks, Mom!!!" Kim cooed before hugging her mom very tightly. She immediately put on the blue diamond earrings, "And that completes my spankin' outfit for the night!!!"

Kim grabbed her purse because Ron was going to arrive in 10 minutes.

Both James and Ann were waiting downstairs, waiting to see the full and radiant beauty of their daughter.

When they caught a first glance at their daughter, their eyes could not turn away.

In addition to the sparkling-blue dress and blue diamond earrings, Kim topped it off with sparkling-blue high heels and the most expensive perfumes that CB had to offer. She looked and smelled beautiful for the Formal.

"Wow! My Kimmie-cub is all so cute for tonight with Ronald at the Formal!" James speechlessly exclaimed.

"Thanks, Daddy!" Kim replied with a cute smile before hearing a familiar knock on the door.

As it turned out, it was Ron at the door. He was wearing a black tuxedo from Middleton Tuxes and parted his dirty-blonde hair for this one occassion with his BFGF and polished his shoes to perfection.

The hero of the town presented a bouquet of red roses before his dressed-up cheerleading girlfriend. "And how is my bon-diggiest GF doing tonight?"

"Doing just spankin', Ron!" Kim gave her best smile ever before glancing at the red roses.

"Aww....for me, Ron! You are the sweetest guy I have ever met!" She gave a gasping smile before giving her naco-loving defense-outrunning boyfriend a long kiss.

"Ready to go to Chez Middleton, the fanciest and only French restaurant in Middleton?" Kim then asked out for the restaurant to eat.

"Boo-yah!!! Oh yeah, KP! I am SO ready and excited for this!!!" Ron exclaimed while jumping up and down in the air.

"Me too! Where's Rufus, though?" the cheerleader asked, turning her head.

Her answer came in the form of the small squeak from Rufus. The mole rat was wearing a tux as well with a top hat.

"Showtime!!!!" Rufus squeaked as he held out a little dancing cane and performed a dancing number.

Kim snickered at this, "Rufus, you're so funny with the little disguises!"

"Thanks!!!" the mole rat squeaked again before getting more serious by putting on a little pair of shady sunglasses. "Grrr!!! Veruca!!!!"

Ron immediately recognized what this meant, "You're right, Rufus! Veruca is going to strike soon isn't she? That little traitorious slime, ruining my Middleton Mad Dog! We gotta catch her fast, KP, before she kills Camille!"

"You're over-reacting a little bit, Ron, but don't worry, that evil deb's plan will never be carried out in success! We have friends, high and low, ready to take her down!" Kim reassured Ron and he immediately calmed his torment against Veruca.

"I guess....I guess you're right, KP, I shouldn't over-react like that! But still, um.... she needs to be taught a lesson!" Ron exclaimed with determination.

"Don't make it such a drama, Ron! Wade's briefing me on her latest whereabouts whenever she makes a move! We'll simply bag her and send her to prison, not juvie hall!" Kim advised on Ron to not freak out.

"Hello, KP?! She has shapeshifting abilities and she's packing heat!!!!" Ron warned. Rufus nodded his head too. The two did not want to see Kim being dragged away in chains.

"Then in this case, the only way that I can defeat Veruca is with Wade's help!!" Kim decreed before turning on the Kimmunicator and Wade's face appeared, "What's the sitch, Wade?"

"Nothing much has changed, Kim, in the Salt household ever since this afternoon! I think she is going to target Camille!" Wade replied the same info.

"But how are we going to bring down Veruca's shapeshifting powers altogether?" Kim asked, wanting to know a weakness within her shapeshifting abilities. She knew that precipitation helped bring down Camille, but wanted to know any type of long-lasting formula that could put down Veruca's abilities.

"The juvie hall a few miles south of us has given out my short-range formula that works for a 24-hour span, but I have yet to work on a longer-lasting formula!" Wade explained on the one potential weapon to bring down Veruca.

"Well, Wade, can you do it a bit faster?" Kim gave her suggestion "Veruca is going to strike soon at the Formal tonight and I need something that can stop her powers!"

"Can do, Kim! That's why I have a powerful brain!" Wade saluted back, knowing that there is hope of bringing down Veruca's plans once and for all.

"And please and thank you!" Kim grinned before turning the Kimmunicator off. Turning to Ron she smiled, "So now, my date and Rufus, ready to go out together?"

"More than ready for the Ron-man and his girl!" Ron replied before Ann walked with them, for she agreed to take them to the dance.

Kim, Rufus and Ron all went into Ann's car and the Team Possible couple were carried off on a sweet romantic date that was bound to hit into a roadbump with Veruca's name on it.

______________________________________________________________________________

Time: 7:30pm

Place: Southern Mississippi Juvenille Detention Center

Camille stood in her bunk, looking up at the moonlight from her cell window. She then sighed deeply and awaited her service to the community: serving soft drinks during the Formal.

It wasn't long before she heard the baton-tapping on her cell bars from a nearby correction officer. Three other officers were there, carrying leg irons and cuffs.

"Ready, Miss Leon?" the corrections officer demanded.

The embittered deb walked up to the officer and held the cell bars tightly with her hands, "I'm more than ready, Officer!"

The corrections officer immediately motioned his head to the door operator. He opened up the celldoor to Camille's cell.

The officers immediately put on the handcuffs and leg irons on the Leon heiress. As the cold steel of the handcuffs became attached to her body, she cringed and felt a sting, Deep down inside, she knew that this would be the only way to forgive Kim for all her transgressions.

She slowly walked from her cell to the information area in the main building, the chains clinking along, without saying anything.

When she got to the main building, a transport awaited her.

"When are you going to bring the prisoner back?" Officer Hobble questioned the three corrections officers guarding Camille.

"Most likely by 11:00, sir!!!!" one of the corrections officers replied. Camille said nothing at all as the two officers escored her to the prison transport, bound for the Formal.

* * *

Meanwhile, the third officer went to one of the bathrooms with an unmarked earpiece with a signal that is untraceable by the police. In reality, he was a part of the corrupt Middleton School Board when the Salt parents were in complete control of everything, a common spy who allowed the traiterous Veruca to remain in the Middleton School System. He was also the same one who told Veruca of her whereabouts and now he was preparing the timing for the ex-cheer captain for her murderous plot to kill Camille. The other part of the earpiece was possessed by Veruca, one of the few things that remained in the Salt Mansion that the police did not touch.

"The Leon has left the prison!" the spy whispered the codewords to Veruca on the other end. It was time for the murderous deb to accomplish the dastardly deed

Camille did not know that the transport was bringing her closer into Veruca's complex web of murder and betrayl.


	158. Now or Never

Time: 7:50pm  
Place: Middleton High Gym

On a cloudless Saturday night, the different-colored dance lights finally lit up outside the Middleton High gym in shades of red, gold, purple signifying the beginning of the Formal. The temperature was around 27 degrees but it did not deter the determination and spirit of fellow Middleton High students from entering into the gym. The DJ got the surround sound system all hooked up around the gym.

However, the first person that walked into the gym was not one of the students. No, it was Officer Hobble, motioning his officers around in the surrounding buildings nearby the high school.

Through his Brogue accent, Hobble barked out his commands to the 20 police officers present.

"Officer Campbell, set up your sentry position at the roof of the school! Officer Donald, take Officer Eddie and head toward the abandoned building to the right of the gum and take positions over there!!! I want the officers to keep their eyes peeled for that stupid bitch! We are going to send that sick piece of dirt Veruca to federal prison once and for all!!!!!"

He wanted sweet revenge against Veruca for disappearing on him the first time that they raided the Salt Mansion.

"I do hope the dance plans out very well because if it doesn't, the Department is going to have my badge!"

______________________________________________________________________________

Kim and Ron were in the car and on their way to the dance. The teen heroine and her extremely bon-diggiest sweetest boyfriend enjoyed having a fancy meal for the first time together in their young lives.

She immediately went into her purse and grabbed her phone. It was a message from Bonnie.

"Hey, Ron! I got a message from B!" Kim exclaimed as she read the message. "Maybe we can take down Veruca. I mean, the more the better."

"Uhhhh, KP, helooooo?!?!?!?!?!?!?! She's armed with a gun, she has weird powers, and a thirst for revenge!!!!!!" Ron frantically flapped his arms about in the backseat.

Kim, a little bit embarassed by her BFBF creating a scene, crept up closer to him. And with that warm and fuzzy feeling, and with Kim touching the very bridge of his nose wearing a sexy grin on her face, Ron immediately calmed down and took several deep breaths before he felt the warm hug of his girlfriend. The side of Ron's head rested against Kim's, then, turning to each other, eye-to-eye and began to kiss each other romantically. The lips of Kim with the fanciest pink gloss from CB pressed against Ron's lips.

Kim mouthed, "I love you, Ron!!!"

"And I love you, my bon-diggiest girlfriend!" Ron whispered wearing a smile that comforted him deep down inside and the two continued to kiss for a few brief moments.

Rufus, whom was sitting in the front seat and watching the events from the rearview mirror, took out a little tissue and wiped a tear from his eye.

Ann, whom was driving at the time to the gym, smiles as she watched the events from the backseat. It filled her with memories from distant past. "So sweet! Reminds me of the time me and your father used to show our first romantic gesture when we were young, Kimberly."

Kim and Ron then parted still glancing with loving looks in their eyes, and then the beautiful red-haired cheerleader turned to her mom wearing the loving smile that she had, "Awwww.....that's so romantic, Mom! Was that night so spankin?"

"Oh it was, Kimberly!!" Ann laughes, "We were hanging out a pop stand on our very first date. Your daddy was driving my mom's station wagon."

"Uhhh...." Kim scratched her head momentarily, "what's a pop stand, Mom?"

"A pop stand was...." Ann began her explanation until she heard the familiar four beeps of the Kimmunicator. "Can you get that, Kimberly?"

"Sure can, Mom!" Kim smiled before taking out her Kimmunicator. Wade's face appeared before her and, judging by the looks of his emotions, he was extremely happy.

"Go, Wade!" Kim exclaimed, anticipating some good news of her sitch with Veruca.

Wade was wearing a scientists' lab coat and he excitedly showed Kim an ordinary-looking medicine bottle with pills in it.

"I've finally put the long-lasting formula the police gave me that can help negate Veruca's shapeshifing abilities," the computer genius excitedly exclaimed, holding the bottle up high in the air, "in pill form!!!!!"

"That's spankin', Wade, but we don't have much time!" Kim smiled but then it faded away into a sense of urgency, "Veruca could probably be on the move even as we speak!!!!"

"Hmm....looks like I'm going to have to go in myself!!!!" Wade decided while rubbing his chin of an idea, although it could put his life at risk.

Kim and Ron then looked at each other with gloomy looks on their face and then back at the Kimmunicator.

"Wade, are you sure you want to do this?" Kim asked with the weary look in her eye.

Wade solemly nodded his head, "Yes, Kim, it's the ONLY way Veruca can be stopped! There are no other alternatives!"

Upon hearing those words, Kim's heart sank. Deep down, though, she knew that she could hear Camille's voice crying out into the distance from a single silver bullet fired from Veruca. She knew that Wade was right. She HAD no other choice but to risk Wade's life as well.

Now that mean princess has lost her sanity, there's no telling who she could strike next at the dance!

Maybe she's planning to strike at more people other than Camille! Maybe someone that I know and love!!!

She pondered on this, as Wade concluded his message. Ron peered in as well.

"Kim, I understand how difficult things have been but Team Possible always has stuck together in the past and will stick together in the future! Veruca will NEVER stand a chance against us! Just like what we did to all of the challenges that you two have faced before both ourside of Middleton High and from within. I mean if the Mad Dogs can defeat Soouth Panola and win the football series, then Team Possible, and all of our friends, can and will ultimately defeat this moster!

The teenage heroine's smile finally returned, "Thanks, Wade!" The Kimmunicator screen turned off with a smile from the computer genius.

_______________________________________________________________________________

"We're here!!!!!" Ann sang to the couple in the backseat. The family car finally arrived at the Middleton Gym.

Kim and Ron then took a deep breath and gazed into each other's eyes. Ron then opened up the car door.

The star of the football team then, with romantic gesture of his hand, said with a smile, "After you, KP!"

Kim heartstuck at her BFBF's words, was escorted by Ron out of the car, the two holding hands with each other.

Once they got onto the gym floor, there was no turning back. This was now or never!!!


	159. Journey of Hades

-Time: 8:15pm

Place: Salt Mansion

The cold air continued to seep through the Salt Mansion, through the cracked windows and the peeling walls. Yet, there was still Veruca, denim overalls-clad and with her straps up and belted, and armed with two .44-Magnum revolvers, sitting on the bottom of the former grand staircase, ready to ruin Kim and Ron's most romantic night of their lives with a double-murder.

_Hehehehehe! I have everything ready to carry out my brutal plan against Little-Miss-Crimefighter once and for all. Overalls_, she said to herself, tugging on the straps, _check_._My two trusty revolvers_, Veruca evily smiled, looking at the two guns the she held with her belt, _double check!My insantiable thirst of rage, revenge, and bloodshed against two stupid blonde cheerleaders_, the deb cackled with the smacking of her lips, "check!

_Hmm, let's see, how far is it from my mansion to the school? _

She then stood up, looked around the mansion for a map to Middleton. On the floor, she spotted one of the more recent discarded maps of the town. The satanic peanut deb studied the map closely and found out that the school was about a good 20-minute drive from her mansion to the school.

Veruca carried the map down the ruined hallway and down the elevator, anticipating a quick ruining end to Kim's life once and for all. But when the elevator went to the garage level, she was stunned that the government took away every single car she owned, including her prized limo where she had dedicated it to the hotel heiress.

At once, she clinched her fists in rage.

Veruca then threw the map aside and pouted at the floor.

_Grrrrr! That stupid so-called government took away all my fancy cars! They cost me millions! This is completely …… NO FAIR! Now I'm going to have to walk all the way to that stupid school and it's going to take longer to put that Possible idiot behind bars like the little insensitive criminal that she is! _

Veruca then looked outside from the window and noticed that the wind was blowing harder against the trees and the junkyard that was once her glorious yard when she was worshipped by all of her servants, maids, and butlers. Then she looked down at her overalls, the last vestage of civilized behavior in her and knew that it was her only shot at reclaiming the top spot, sending Kim to jail, and killing off two cheerleaders in the process.

She walked on over to the cracked swiveling glass doors before the government thrashed everything, Veruca's lifestyle and all, out the window. The deb then spotted a hammer on the floor and took one swing at it as the glass shattered into a million pieces .

_Even if it does take me an hour to get across town to that high school that I mocked at, it's the only way my plan will work!_

Veruca walked through the broken glass door into the bitter cold that awaited her. The shoes that she wore treaded over the glass remants and she walked out into the ruined courtyard littered with debris. She weaved through the debris, one by one, until she reached the front gate of her mansion. The deb flunged it open and left her mansion, her sordid and twisted past behind her, ready to put a permanent end to Kim's life once and for all!

Veruca could picture the gruesome scene!

(begin alternate d world: in a 1920s-style courthouse. The judge would be wearing his traditional black robe and sport a Cajun-like Southern Accent. Kim is sporting a tradition black-and-white striped prison uniform, with handcuffs being tied to a leather belt and chained both her feet with a ball-and chain dragging right behind her. Ann and James are both crying and praying for a not guilty verdict)Judge: Foreman, have you reached a verdict?

Foreman: We have, Your Honor! (in a Droopy voice)

Judge: How does the jury say!Foreman: We find the defendant guilty on two counts of Murder.

(The crowd utterly gasps in shock and horror. Ann cries at her heartstrings at the verdict being levied against her very own flesh-and-blood daughter!)Kim: NNNNOOOOOOO! *cries in agony, chains are rattling* I've......I've failed everyone! I've failed the Possibles! I'm nothing!

(Veruca evily snickers as she wears a Halter dress as a servant fans her with a palm leaf*

Veruca: I hope you die, Possible! (laughs)Judge: In addition, Kim Possible, you are hereby sentenced to DIE by the CHAIR! And may God have mercy on your soul! *bangs gavel*

Veruca *laughs with evil glee*

Kim: NOOOOOOOOOO! *Two guards take poor Kim away on a paddy wagon heading toward the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman*

*Ann cries and then faints to the courtroom floor, crying in tears over this shabby treatment of her flesh-and-blood daughter*______________________________________________________________________________*Another scene cuts to the execution chamber where the electrocution of Kim Possible was to take place. Ann was going through Kleenex box after Kleenex box, crying for her wrongfully convicted daughter The curtain lifts up to reveal a very distraught Kim being shackled by the correction officers and strapped to the chair. The warden, executioner, priest, and several corrections officers are present. By this time all the Possibles, Ron, Bonnie, Tara were all crying and mourning for their tortured daughter and friend on one side while Veruca was on the other side, wearing her $7000 designer dress, expensive jewelry, and mink coat while one of her servants feed her grapes, another waves a palm branch as an impromptu fan while a third servant files her nails for her. She gives an evil cackling laugh as Kim had her red hair shaved bald. Electrodes were put to her brain so the electricity would flow into her brain, killing her.*

Priest: Any last words?Kim: Let me out! I was framed! *tries to struggle to break free but cannot* Veruca: *continuing to laugh evily* I'll see you in Hell, Possible! *Veruca continues her cackling ear-piercing laugh while Kim's friends and family crying with utter sorrow for their fallen daughter*

"The metallic plate is then lowered on top of Kim's shaved head. The remnants of her fiery red hair are *The warden then checks his clock for the midnight stroke and then nods his head to the executioner. The switch is pulled**Electicity, around 3,214 volts of it to be precise, then filled into Kim's body. She violently shook for around 16 seconds and then……she was dead. The cheerleading hero that everyone hailed from countries worldwide was no more.*

Ann: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *cries into the sobbing eyes of her husband, speechless from the dismay and pain and agony of his own Kimmie-cub's death * *Ron screamed in utter shock and pain*

Veruca: Yes! My nemesis is dead! Take that you Possible dirteaters! HAHAHAHAHAHA!*After the funeral of Kim and that her body has been buried, the Possible family, relatives, and all of Kim's friend's left in mourning, wailing and in tears. Meanwhile, Veruca was now in a dancer's outfit complete with tapping shoes and a cane and then proceeded to dance all over Kim's grave, giving a sick laughter all the way.*

"Yes, I can picture it now over their stupid little Possible faces!" HAHAHAHA! Veruca spoke to herself on the course of this Hades trip.

Veruca played this nightmare sequence over and over again in her mind, walking for an entire hour slowly, as she finally reached Middleton High, ready to fulfill her vision of Kim's early demise of the sick and twisted plans of murdering two cheerleaders.


End file.
